A Private War
by camnz
Summary: Hogwarts decides to hold an academic tournament to rally the students after the end of the war, providing Hermione and Draco a chance to air some unfinished business.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hermione stepped onto Platform 3 1/2 only a few minutes before the Hogwarts Express left. The platform was crowded and bustling with kids and their parents saying farewell.

Her parents didn't come this year and she didn't ask them to. In fact, she was kind of surprised she was here herself. She didn't really believe she would make it back to her seventh year. There were times when she wasn't sure she would survive the war, let alone get back to the normal world of academia.

She didn't mind. She had nothing else to do. It was true that she had lost something during the war, some innocence she had and now it was hard to care. Everything seemed mundane and pointless. What did NEWTs matter when you were likely experiencing your very last minutes in this world. Even when the war ended and once the celebrations faded, it was hard to find enthusiasm for things that didn't really matter. She knew what mattered now.

Harry and Ron were already on the platform, surrounded by the Gryffindor housemates. There were both back for their final year. Hermione was sure that according to their reasoning, what was the point of being a war hero if there wasn't an adoring audience, and the audience they actually cared about were on this platform. Plus Ginny. Harry would go wherever Ginny went and she had no choice but to be here.

Hermione took a moment to actually wonder if she had made the right decision coming back. What if there wasn't a way back. What if you can't go back to your previous life after a war? Pretend nothing happened.

She looked over to where the Slytherins were congregating. That blob of black that signified the Slytherins' turf. She saw a glimpse of blond hair and her eyes narrowed. The nerve of him to show his face here after what he'd done. He had singlehandedly brought the war into the school and gotten the headmaster killed in the process. Pretty rich trying to ingratiate himself back into it.

Somehow Harry had buried the hatchet with Malfoy somewhere in the burnt out shell of the room of requirement. She had not. They had all lived, the Malfoys, like the cockroaches they were, survived through everything.

She indulged in a little fantasy of Draco being squashed under someone's foot and his innards squirting out like a yellow goo. It made her smile actually.

Through it all, she hated Malfoy most. Crabbe and Goyle were just stupid. The older Death Eaters were simply mental, but Draco Malfoy, he was their age and he should have been smart enough to not buy into the insanity. The fact that he had made her lose all respect she had for him. Not that there was a whole lot to start with, but she had set him apart from Crabbe and Goyle, but he was on their level now.

Although Crabbe was dead. Hermione felt nothing about it. She had watched Crabbe's mother sobbing away through the Inquiry and still she had felt nothing. He brought it on herself and that woman was stupid enough to encourage him. Well she got what she paid for.

Hermione knew that there was a part of her that had grown cold. She had trouble empathising with the suffering of those who had brought so much to others who had done nothing to bring this on.

There wasn't any room in Harry and Ron's compartment for her, it was so full of their admirers. People weren't ignoring her, she just wasn't in the mood to talk. In the end, she ended up sitting with Luna, who seemed to get that she didn't want to talk about it. Otherwise it was an uneventful train ride.

The same happened in the great hall, Harry was sitting next to Ginny with Ron across from them, surrounded by people interested in every word they said.

Ms. McGonagall stood up and took the podium. It was the first time she had seen anyone other than Dumbledore take the podium to welcome the students back. It almost made her tear up.

"Welcome back." Ms. McGonagall started. "We are all glad to return this year after the difficulties of last year. Extensive repair work has been conducted throughout the structure, but there are a few areas that are still off limits due to ongoing reparations work. This includes the third floor, the Herbology green houses and the bridge which I am told is not fully co-operating yet. I am afraid anyone heading down that way is just going to have to go the long way."

Ms. McGonagall went onto an extensive welcome and an introduction of new staff members including some strangers in the Arithmancy and Defence of the Dark Arts disciplines. Hermione actually tuned out for a while and looked around the room. Most students were listening, some were whispering to each others. First years looked starry eyed and terrified.

She met with Draco Malfoy's cold gray eyes as she scanned the room and her eyes narrowed. He didn't back down. She would have expected him to, out of embarrassment and shame if nothing else. They stared at each other for a moment while Hermione tried to communicate to him that he had forfeited his right to be here.

Eventually he smirked and looked away, but it looked a little put on which pleased her immensely. She wasn't going to take any grief from him this year, she decided. If he pulled his usual stuff, she would actually hex him and she didn't really care if it bothered anyone. He didn't belong here anymore, after all. All those years of him telling her she didn't belong here, now it was actually him that didn't. How ironic.

"...student wellbeing after such a difficult period, we have decided that a competition would do wonders for bolstering school spirit. Now it is too short notice to organise a Triwizard tournament and we are not due to host the next one, but instead we have designed a school wide tournament of a more academic nature." Ms McGonagall prattled on. "Each school will choose three competitors for their team, which can be any student belonging to that house, to compete in a tournament that will run throughout the year."

A murmur broke out amongst the students, which got Hermione's attention. She looked around and everyone looked confused, whispering amongst each other. She asked the third year sitting next to her to fill her in on what she'd missed.

The news didn't please her. An academic competition. That was her territory. This meant everyone would expect her to compete and she didn't want to. She was not up for something like the Triwizard tournament. It almost killed Harry.

Although being an academic tournament probably meant it was more sedate, but really, she didn't want to muster the energy to care about a competition. She wondered if there was any chance she could escape without being included.

The fact that everyone at the table was obviously talking about her indicated that the chances might be low.

"Each house must have their teams in place by the end of the week." Ms. Gonagall said with a great smile, which frankly looked odd on the woman. "With that, I sincerely welcome you all back. I am so very pleased to see you all. Now onto the sorting ceremony."

Hermione wondered if it was rude to leave during the sorting ceremony. It obviously was, but she just wanted to go to bed. However, she did as her upbringing required and sat through the ceremony, clapping every time a student got sorted.

There was intense excitement in the common room after they were let go. Apparently the Gryffindor team had already been selected, it was her, Parvati and Vicky Frobisher. It was treated as settled.

"You're going to be clean them out, Hermione." Harry said as he came up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"I don't want to be in a competition, Harry."

"I know they suck, but you just have to. I did it. Now its your turn. You're our ace, Mione, you simply cannot turn this down. This is about house pride." Harry said and Hermione had trouble arguing a logical point in contention. The house pride thing didn't resonate like it used to, but she knew it meant a lot to Harry. How could she argue?

So she was on the team, she just had to accept it.

"Finally something happening in this school that I am not in any way involved with." Harry said with a proud sigh.

Hermione could only nod. She let Harry have his moment. He deserved a moment.

Just before lunchtime of Friday, the elected teams had to meet in the Headmistresses office. The Ravenclaws were already there when Hermione, Parvati and Vicky arrived. Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Su Li.

Tough competition, Hermione acknowledged. The Hufflepuffs arrived next, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbot and Justin Finch-Fletchley. No surprises there. Now they were just waiting for the Slimies.

They arrived late, as per usual. Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott and Draco Malfoy.

You have got to be kidding, Hermione said to herself. Malfoy? They chose him? Theo she could understand, she didn't know Blaise, but serious, Malfoy, his head was too far stuck up his own backside to be of any use, surely.

"Now." McGonagall said. "There will be a series of five competitive sessions, where you will be expected to achieve a number of tasks and solve some difficult problems. The people of Hogsmead have kindly lent us the village and its surrounds for the tournament, so you will have access to all of Hogsmead and its contents for the competition."

"Each session will run for three days and you will be expected to stay within the competitive area during that time. When a session is running, you may not leave the area, you may not consult the library or have any contact with any student not in the competition. Equally you may not discuss the competition or conduct any activity related to the competition outside of your house team when back in the school. Breach of these rules will mean disqualification."

"The first team to achieve the tasks the competition sets out, will win the tournament as well as the house cup. The whole student body will know of the achievements of each team after each session. I expect a fair competition. It will not be supervised, but there will a tribunal available in the event of any disputes or disciplinary action."

"The first session is in two weeks time. The second is in November. The third in January. The fourth in March, and the final session is in April. I wish you all the best of luck and have great expectations from you all. I know this will be a fun competition and will rally the students of this school."

"What will the others be doing during this time?" Terry Boot asked.

"There will not be classes on while the sessions are running." McGonagall said. "But do not mistake me, Mr. Boot, this is a great privilege, competing for your house. Now off you go."

The teams all dispersed after a final eyeing over of each other.

"I don't mind being in a competition with Michael Corner." Parvati said as they walked back to their common room. "Not at all. He is looking so ... grown up."

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes. Since her and Ron's relationship fizzled out just after the war ended, she had no interest in boys.

"There are no girls on the Slytherin team." Vicky said.

"That's because they are all thick as planks." Parvati said.

"The Ravenclaw team will be the worry." Hermione said. "I imagine the Slytherins will be too lazy. The Hufflepuffs, maybe."

"But they may have an advantage with their knowledge of the darker magic." Vicky said.

"I hardly think they will design a competition that will use dark magic." Hermione responded.

"We'll just have to put some mirrors up, that would get at least Blaise and Malfoy stuck." Parvati said and they all could stop having a laugh at the Slytherins' expense.

It felt really good to laugh. It had been a while.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione dove into her studies. If she had to compete in this tournament, she had to get a good start on her studies, although some of her intense studying might have been a distraction from the intense post war celebration what was going on within wizarding Britain's teenage community.

Ron and Harry were fully committed to the celebration. Harry and Ginny were broken up it seemed due to some night spent down by the lake with a group of girls that did not include Ginny. Hermione had always thought Harry was devoted to Ginny, but frankly she didn't want to think about it. If Harry had to sleep with half of the school to deal with what they had just been through, then who was she to pass judgement.

These were extraordinary times. She just didn't feel it. Actually she wasn't sure she felt anything beyond exhaustion, restlessness and a deep seated anger. She certainly wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

Neither were some of the Slytherins. One in particular. Probably disappointed that he wasn't out torturing people while telling them how great he was, Hermione thought bitterly.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was particularly trying. The new professor was a bit absentminded and the whole thing seemed kind of unrealistic considering what they had just gone through. The absence of Professor Snape was also glaringly obvious, but Hermione just couldn't go there yet. It was a wound that was rawer than she ever would have given it credit for.

They had never been remotely close and he certainly never like her, but his death did cut pretty deep.

Hermione hadn't put her hand up the entire week they had been back. Ron had teased her about being sick, or maybe she'd had a knock on the head they didn't know about.

She just didn't see the point anymore. She wasn't sure why or even cared to explore when that happened, but Ron was annoying the hell out of her.

After class she hung behind, wanting Ron and Harry to go ahead without her. She just didn't want company right now.

"What's the matter Granger, lost your ever pervasive need to show everyone you've not just a muggle?" Malfoy said as she walked out of the class room.

"Fuck off, Malfoy." She said and walked past him. She really couldn't be bothered.

"Such language from such a prizzy girl." He said with feigned surprise, maybe a little real surprise as well. "No prizzy isn't the right word. Matronly, that's better. You're just a few years away from nice beige support hosery, complete dedication to serving as a cushion to that furball you call a cat."

She almost smiled. Not even Malfoy's vile could pierce her casing of not caring. She just kept walking. His jibes used to bother the hell out of her, but now she just didn't care.

Her non caring extended to the tournament as well. Everyone else seemed to care, wanting to talk about what the challenges might be like. What Hogsmead would be like, if it would be completely deserted. Everyone had ideas about how it should play out, where they should set up their camp and tactics to get the upper hand.

A hint of competition had started to creep in amongst the competitors when they ran into each other in the halls or in class. Harder to distinguish with the Slytherins as they were always glaring with malice. Although saying that, she did notice the considered looks for Blaise and Theo Nott. She hadn't really looked at them in any detail before. Malfoy so sucked all attention to him, he overshadowed his house mates on pretty much every occasion, but her new found lack of caring seemed immune to his ability to attract attention.

Theo she knew was smart. Blaise she didn't really know at all past his prejudices. She wasn't sure if his prejudices would serve as a disadvantage or not. At least she was thinking like a competitor. She should be more excited than she was, she realised.

The rest of the week slowly passed and Hermione started being grateful for the competition because she was bored beyond belief. Which was a new experience for her. She didn't really have a lot of experience with boredom, usually there was something that would interest her. She finally had to admit that this war had affected her rather deeply. None of them were talking about it, not that she wanted to and she avoided anyone who did. Luckily neither Harry nor Ron wanted to talk about it either.

"Are you packed?" Parvati interrupted her musings during breakfast.

"Packed?"

"For tomorrow." Parvati said. "For the tournament. You haven't packed yet."

"Its not till tomorrow."

"We need to set up our base camp somewhere." Parvait said pulling in Vicky for an impromptu team meeting. "The obvious choice is Rosmerta's."

"Along with everyone else." Vicky said.

"Right next to the alcohol." Hermione added.

"True." Parvati said.

"We might be better of it someone's house." Hermione said.

"It'd feel weird being in someone's house." Vicky said.

"Lets take a shop then. Set up camp. Claim the resources." Hermione said. "Maybe Wiseacre's. That will give us access to everything in the store."

"Or the herbology shop." Vicky said.

"I'd never be able to sleep with that smell."

"Wiseacre's it is then, agreed?"

Everyone nodded.

Hermione had packed a change of clothes in her infinitely expanding bag, including her whole potions hoard and her private collection of books, library books being disallowed. McGonagall said nothing about private books.

Actually preparing for the tournament made her feel queasy. It brought back the desperate fear she had felt during the war, trying to think through what they might need and what would keep them alive. She didn't want to do this tournament. She didn't want to be confronted with these lingering feelings. She had enough fear to last her a lifetime. She didn't want to feel any more.

She was the only one wearing her uniform the next morning. The Great Hall was abuzz with excited students. Hermione just felt dread. She did feel a little self conscious about wearing her uniform when everyone else wasn't, but she forced herself to get over it. She could run upstairs and change, but she didn't want to. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wanted the constant reminder that she was still in school. There had been points when she was pretty sure she would never be wearing this uniform again.

Breakfast was going too quick. Before Hermione could realise it, it was over. Hermione wrapped up some of the left overs and shoved them into her bag.

Professor McGonagall was speaking, but Hermione was trying to wrack her brains for things she might need. She was shaking in distress with worry that she had forgotten something very important. She had the first aid kit, the emergency food, the tent. She even packed a broom. She considered asking Harry to get his invisibility cloak, but told herself off for being ridiculous. This was an academic competition and she was practically preparing for war.

The breakfast was ending and it was now time to start the tournament. Hermione felt dread flow through her like icy water. She didn't want to do this. She just wanted normalcy, not some stupid competition. But she trudged along with everyone else. The whole school was coming with them to see them off.

"I know you'll do great." Ron said. "There is no chance they can ever beat you."

"That's really nice, Ron." Hermione said. She wanted to cry because she didn't want to go, but they were all depending on her. Why were they always depending on her. This was just some stupid competition.

At the gates, each team was handed an envelope that wouldn't open for another hour. Inside were the instructions for the first task.

The four groups walked out of the gates and the gates closed behind them. They kept on walking until they met with eerie silence only broken by the crunch of their feet on the gravel.

After a few minutes the Slytherins started running.

"Bastards." Parvati said. "They are going to be first to pick their camp."

The other teams seemed to feel the sense of urgency and started running too. Hermione didn't want to but had to go along with it and ensure they got their preferred space.

The other teams were fuming when the Slytherins had claimed all of the Three Broom Sticks and all of its rooms for themselves. Hermione, Parvati and Vicky went on and quietly claimed Wiseacre's shop, which wasn't particularly big, but full of every magical device imaginable.

Hermione followed the typical pattern, setting the wards, which were basically bomb proof by the time she was done, then set up the tent. An activity she had done so many times before.

Parvati and Vicky were impressed with the forward thinking Hermione had shown, but Hermione was almost gagging. The smell of the tent was so familiar and it brought back lots of memories, mostly of fear and dread.

When they were done the envelope glowed to show it was ready to open. Parvati opened the envelope and pulled out the stiff card inside.

_The Hogsmeade water source has been contaminated and your task it to remedy it_. The card said. Parvati turned it over to see if anything was on the back.

"That's all. Fix the water." She said. "What is a water source?"

"Where the water comes from." Vicky said with a 'you're stupid' glare.

"How am I supposed to know where the water comes from. It comes from the tap."

"There must be a well source somewhere." Hermione said. "It also means we can't drink the water."

"Won't be a problem for the Slytherins, they can bathe in butterbeer."

"How do we find the water source?" Vicky said.

"I guess we follow the water." Hermione said, but she really just wanted to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Do we need to find the water source?" Vicky said. "The water comes out of the tap."

"They may have left clues, besides, we will have to find it eventually in order to treat it. But I guess we can start testing it." Hermione said. Hermione went to her bag and drew out a set of potion vials. "We can start testing, while we find the water source."

"Some of the tests are going to take some time." Parvati said. "Somehow I don't think this is going to be something that is easily detectable. Would it be a poison?"

"Who knows?" Vicky said. "What else could contaminate water?"

"Something dead." Hermione said.

"That's pretty gruesome." Parvati said with a chill.

"It happens quite often, an animal dies in the water supply and contaminates it. Or the village sewage is contaminating the water supply."

"This competition better not be about mucking around with sewage." Parvati warned. "I know these competition is not for the faint hearted, but that would be too much."

"I suppose we could test for things, hopefully that would start narrowing it down." Vicky said.

"There's probably a well somewhere." Hermione said. "Typically villages are built around wells, but maybe not so in a magical village."

"I have no idea. I usually don't think about how villages were built." Parvati said.

"Lets start testing." Vicky said. "A test for ...death. How do you test for death?"

"Have you never been camping?" Parvati said. "You use the Tersus spell to check a water stream. I think it tests for some animal contaminating the water."

"Then do it."

"It might not work in a vial, I've only used it on a stream."

"So use the tap." Hermione said.

Parvati turned on the tap and did the spell while the water flowed. It didn't respond positively, so Parvati shrugged.

"It could be anything." She said.

"Then lets start testing for everything." Hermione said.

"It will take forever." Parvati said. "This exercise is supposed to last three days."

Hermione heart sank. She didn't want to do this for three days, she just wanted to go back to her dorm and sleep. Even this conversation was wearing her out.

They spent the next hour writing down every potions test they knew off. Even testing for love potion, not that Hermione thought Hogwarts professors would lace the township water with love potion, that would be a disaster. But she would make sure not to test it anyway.

As they were about to start and were half way through filling the testing vials, the water stopped.

"It stopped." Vicky said.

"Someone shut it off." Hermione said. "Bastards."

"That means someone must have found the source." Vicky said. "We can't test now without finding the source."

"I guess we are finding the source." Hermione said.

"How?" Parvati said.

"We follow the pipes."

It took them an hour and a half to find the source. The underground pipes kept on branching off and leading them down false paths which only ended up at other houses. In the end, all pipes led to a house, there wasn't a well in the centre of the village or even outside.

"It must be under one of the house." Hermione said.

"Maybe the one that produces copious amounts of butter beer."

"The Three Broomsticks." Parvati said. "That's the Slytherins' territory."

"Not anymore." Hermione said.

She marched towards the Three Broomsticks and tried to push the door open. It was locked and a simple Alohamora spell wouldn't open the door either. Hermione had to bang on the door to get one of them to open it.

"Granger." Malfoy said as he opened the door. "We're not open for business, as much as you would like to ingratiate yourself, we're not seeking company."

"The well is here." She said sharply. "We need to see it. I am sure you know that this task is about the water source."

"And you think its here?" He said looking bored.

"I know its here." She said with exasperation and a glare. He wasn't saying anything, just stood there. He had taken his jacket off and his shirt, leaving him in a white singlet which showed his slimness. Actually he was slim, but not necessarily as skinny as Hermione liked to believe. And compared to the white shirt, his skin actually had some colour. The shape of his shoulders and arms showed that he couldn't be confused for a girl. Slim waist that was cut off at his hips by his black, ridiculously expensive pants. Tailor made for him no doubt, because they fit perfectly. There was something to be said for a tailor who knew what he was doing.

"This is our turf, mudblood. I don't see why you should come in and muck around."

"Are you blocking access to the water source?"

Malfoy considered something for a moment, chewing his lip slightly while he stared at her. This told her unequivocally that the well was definitely there.

"What's to stop me?" He said with the smirk that she still so desperately wanted to wipe off his face. After all this time and everything that happened, nothing had changed. He was still an unbelievable git. "There was nothing in the rules that stated I had to give you access?"

"Well, maybe we will just have to get the professors down here to clarify." She said with a challenging look.

That did wipe the smirk off him and he eventually pushed the door open a bit to give them access.

"I can't believe he called you mudblood." Parvati whispered when she walked past. Hermione was still having a staring competition with the tall blond who was barely making enough room to let them through.

"You lost the war, you know." She said as she squeezed past him. He still didn't move and she practically had to run against him to get past. She hated the fact that he was taller than her, by quite a bit too.

She walked across the bar area towards the stairway that went down to the cellar. As she turned to go down the stairway, she saw that Draco was still standing with his arm on the door. The glare he was giving her was far from friendly. Whatever, she thought and walked down the stairs.

It wasn't hard to find a second set of stairs in the cellar that led somewhere lower. It was dark and moist down the steps, but she could hear water.

The well room wasn't large, a square room with a large dark hole in the middle. She could hear the water and it was travelling fairly fast. An image flashed in her mind of Draco pushing her in. Into the black stream which let who knows where.

Hermione felt irrational fear, it clung to her like something sticky. She knew the feeling well. She looked at Parvati beside her who's eyes were as big as saucers, but she wasn't looking into the scary dark hole, instead she was looking at Blaise who stood on the other side of the room with his shirt off, as in bare.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked around the room. A large pipe led up from the floor with a valve that the boys had obviously used to shut off the water supply. If they hadn't done that, hadn't tried to make it hard for everyone, they would be bothered with these unwholesome intruders, she thought. Serves them right.

There was a bucket next to Blaise, full of water.

"Can we use that?" Hermione asked.

"Sorry, this is ours. You should have come more prepared." He said with a broad smile. Not an evil ugly smirk like Draco's, but more teasing with a serious edge. Saying you can try to talk me around, but pleas won't budge me.

"I'll go get something." Vicky said after giving Blaise her best chilling look. But he only kept smiling while he picked the bucket up and started to carry it upstairs. Which left Theo standing in a corner and Draco on the stairs looking down his nose at them.

Well, this is awkward, Hermione said to herself. Awkward silence that begged for some small talk. What was she going to say, I would give my condolences on your father's lengthy prison sentence, Theo, but it was so well deserved, as opposed to the ferret there who's father got off with effin nothing. Instead she just stared at the walls.

Parvati eventually broke the silence by asking Theo what he was taking this year. But the conversation didn't really have anywhere to go, so they just ended up standing around in silence.

Vicky eventually returned with a bucket and a rope. Thank Merlin she didn't forget the rope and they had to do this all over again.

Vicky threw the bucket in and hauled water out. Just as the Ravenclaws were walking down the stairs.

The sight of them annoyed Draco and he left to go upstairs after saying something under his breath.

Parvati exchanged pleasantries with Michael Corner and they fell into a conversation about where they were camped. To which Theo listened intently from his corner. Hermione only shook her head in annoyance as Parvati was obviously flirting wildly with Michael.

"We have enough water." Hermione said. "Lets go."

Parvati followed, but she was still flirting, giving him a little wave as she was walking up the stairs.

"Seriously, he is hot." She said as they walked out of the Three Broomsticks. Then she gasped, "Did you see Blaise? To think what he has been hiding under that suit all this time."

"For Merlin's sake, Parvati." Vicky said with exasperation. "Ok, he was kind of hot."

Giggling ensued and Hermione wanted to rub a headache out of her temples.

"Malfoy is such an arse." Parvati said. "I can't believe what he said to you."

"Nothing's changed there." Hermione said.

"What is wrong with him?" Vicky said. "You would have thought that last year would have adjusted his attitude a bit."

"Slow learner." Hermione said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hermione and the girls tested their water for everything they could think of. It wasn't a poison that they knew to test for or any contaminant that they knew to watch out for in potions. This was something outside of the norm. They even tested it for love potion, but that wasn't it.

Many of the tests would take some time, so for now there was nothing much else to do but to wait.

"Apparently the Slytherins are keeping the whole of the Three Broomsticks to themselves." Vicky said as she returned from outside. "Although they've stated ladies are welcome to bunk with them."

"Ugh." Hermione said. "They're pigs."

"The others are furious, because they are keeping all the Three Broomsticks stock for themselves." Vicky continued. "The Hufflepuffs have set up at the Hog's Head and everyone is welcome."

"Provided you don't mind the smell." Parvati said. "They are not going to sleep there, are they? Madam Pomfrey will end up curing them of all sorts of things after this."

"Do you want to go?" Vicky asked.

"Yeah, alright." Parvati said. "You coming, Hermione?"

"No, I'll stay here." Hermione said. "Keep watch on the experiments."

The two girls nodded and left, leaving Hermione to the quiet solitude she had yearned for all day. She walked up on the second story and sat in the window with a cup of tea. She could see the Three Broomsticks. It was lit up well. Seeing it brought to mind its occupants, one in particular. He really did deserve to be brought down a peg or two.

This elusive contaminant was bothering her. They had two days left to find it and deal with it. And so far they were one day down with nothing to show. Well not true, they knew lots of things about what it wasn't.

But exhaustion took over her. The exhaustion that had been there under the surface the entire time. It seemed that she was functioning on adrenalin and as soon as it went, she couldn't keep her eyes open. She flopped in her bed in the tent and couldn't be bothered undressing.

The girls had to wake her the next day and still she didn't want to get up. She could finally empathise with how Ron used to feel. She had never understood how he could just laze in bed, but she was not ready to get up yet.

She felt awful and lethargic.

"Did you eat anything last night?" Parvati asked her.

"No." She said after thinking the question over. She'd forgotten, which explained why she was feeling so awful.

"The Hufflepuffs put on quite a spread last night." Vicky pitched in. "They sure like entertaining. Although I am not sure they are doing anything about the challenge."

"So Hufflepuff." Parvati said. "They probably don't care about the tournament at all. Any excuse for a party."

"It was fun through." Vicky said. "The Ravenclaws were there are well. Weren't they?" She said and nudged Parvati, who blushed.

Oh please kill me, Hermione thought to herself.

Hermione shook off her sleep rumpled clothes and went to brush her teeth.

"We need more well water." Parvati said. "Bags not."

"Neither." Vicky blurted out in quick procession.

Hermione stopped brushing her teeth and turned to give them the most vile look she could manage. It did shock the girls a bit, but Hermione threw her toothbrush in the sink and snatched up the now empty bucket.

She marched over to the Three Broomsticks and hammered on the door.

The door opened a bit and no further. Hermione pushed it opened and walked in. Theo and Blaise were sitting at one of the table, eating their breakfast.

"I need more water." She said.

They shrugged and ignored her. She walked towards the cellar staircase.

"If it isn't the Gryffindor hag." She heard the lazy drawl to her side. "I would have thought you'd be here at the crack of dawn banging the door down. What's the matter, slept in?"

Hermione didn't bother looking at him.

"Did you sleep in your clothes, Granger?" He said. "What's the matter, finally excepted the inevitable?" He said in a baby voice that reminded her of his aunt.

The reminder of his aunt and the torture she had been subjected to while he watched made her see red. She threw herself at him and clawed at his face. The force of it was enough to push them both back on the bar. The shocked expression would be something that Hermione would remember later. For now, she got in a good punch in his ribs before the other boys dragged her off him.

"You're a mental bitch." He said as he righted himself. He made a show of flicking dirt off his clothes.

Hermione made another go at him, but was restrained by the arms of the boys behind her.

"I'm fine." She said after a few second, when she'd forced herself to calm down. "Let go of me." She ordered in a voice that commanded.

Draco was staring at her. His wand was very handy, she could tell. But she just turned towards the stairs and walked down.

"Crazy bitch." She heard Draco say.

"Just leave her alone." One of the other boys said. "Don't need the distraction, yeah?"

Hermione didn't hear anymore. She continued down to the well and threw the bucket in. She hauled it up as fast as she could, still remembering the fleeting image of Draco pushing her in.

He hadn't run, she realised when she walked up the stairs again. In the past, he would have run being the coward that he was. He didn't run. He stood his ground. She was thinking in terms of battle tactics, reading the enemy. She had to stop, the war was over. Maybe she should apologise.

He wasn't there when she got upstairs again. Theo and Blaise were sitting at their table again, watching her as she came up the stairs.

She stopped and was going to say something apologetic, she opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say. She stood there for a second, trying to say something, but in the end decided not to bother. Instead, she turned to the door and left.

"One of you will have to go in the future." Hermione said when she came back.

"Did they give you a hard time?"

Hermione didn't want to talk about it. "No." She said. "But you missed out, Blaise was practically naked."

"Really?" Parvati said.

"She's pulling your leg, silly." Vicky said with a laugh.

It made Hermione laugh too, which was what she needed to break the tension she felt. Hermione put the bucket down and went to check on the experiments.

"But was he there?" Parvati said from the doorframe.

"Who?" Hermione said in utter confusion.

"Blaise."

"Of course he was, it is their camp."

"Did he ask about me?" Parvati said sheepishly.

Hermione stood there and stared at her, again she didn't know what to say. Something about this being a competition and she should keep her mind on the objective. Something about loyalty and enemies. But in the end, she couldn't be bothered, because maybe it was her there was something wrong with. She had just attacked Draco Malfoy after all. Maybe it was her that had lost perspective.

"No." She finally said. Parvati sighed and left.

The experiments were useless, there was nothing indicating anything wrong with the water. Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with the water. Damn it, she yelled inside her head. She decided that she would have to grow some cultures, see if anything grew, but it would take time. At least 24 hours.

She transfigured anything she could find to grow cultures in.

"I'm going to see if the Ravenclaws have anything." Vicky said.

"Its not like they are going to tell you if they did." Hermione said.

"They might tell me they found something without revealing what it is."

Hermione didn't argue. Again she was feeling tired, but she had work to do. To distract her.

She worked relentlessly for hours. Parvati finally came and told her to take a break. Parvati shoved a sandwich in Hermione's face.

"You still haven't eaten anything." Parvati said. "Eat this. You will have to come to the Hog's Head this evening."

"I'm not in the mood." Hermione said.

"Well you are coming anyway." Parvati decided. "You will come and eat dinner and then you can leave. You're skin and bones."

"Fine." Hermione agreed. It was true, she was unlikely to eat anything substantial unless someone fed her. She knew she needed to eat, but the urge just wasn't hitting her. It is true that Hermione had lost a lot of weight. Some of it was the running she had taken up before school started, but eating just didn't seem to crop up in her mind much these days.

"Now go take a bath, your hair looks like someone's nest."

Hermione looked at Parvati for a while and finally relented. A nice warm bath may not be a bad idea. She just wasn't sure if she could be bothered washing her hair, it just seemed like such an effort at the moment. But she could manage lying in a bath.

Hermione sat on the bathroom floor while the bath filled. She had to admit that there was something wrong with her. The girls were treating her like she was fragile. She had just attacked Malfoy and she couldn't be bothered getting out of her clothes at night.

The water burned her as she stepped in, she hadn't realised the bone chill she was feeling until heat started to seep into her. With the heat seeping in, the tears seemed to start seeping out and she had no idea why.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Stress seeped into Hermione's body as she woke in the tent like she had done so many times before, panicked about what had happened while she was asleep. It took her some time to remember that the war was over and there weren't any Death Eaters waiting outside.

She tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. She didn't want to get up, but she couldn't get back to sleep and it was really annoying her. Grudgingly she got up.

"Want some toast?" One of the girls said.

"No."

"Well, I am making you some anyway."

Hermione knew they were well meaning, but they were just annoying her. Like pretty much everything else.

"So we heard that you kind of attacked Malfoy yesterday." Parvati said.

"A tad overdramatic." Hermione said.

"They say you drew blood."

"Oh no, not some of that precious pureblood blood." Hermione flourished. "It is the end of the world."

"You are going to get yourself kicked out of the competition if you can't check your anger." Parvati chided. "They've probably already reported it."

The thought of getting kicked out of the tournament wasn't entirely unpleasant. Maybe she could slap him around some more and actually get kicked out. That would be like a win, win, wouldn't it? But following the rules was as ingrained to her as breathing, like it or not.

"I will behave." She said. "I promise. He an utter arse, but we can't upset Malfoy's delicate sensibilities, can we?"

"Hermione." Parvati warned.

"I said I wouldn't touch him." Hermione repeated.

"Something has happened with one of the experiments." Vicky said walking into the room.

Both Hermione and Parvati jumped up at the exciting news and walked towards their makeshift lab.

Hermione found the experiment.

"Well, it doesn't tell us what it is." Hermione said. "But we know its a hormone."

"There is a toxic hormone in the water?"

"Looks that way."

"Then it must be something biological." Vicky said. "In the stream. What would live down there?"

"We need to have a look again." Parvati said. "We will all go together."

Hermione wasn't looking forward to the prospects of seeing the Slytherins again, but had little choice.

The Ravenclaws were already at the Three Broomsticks, leaving.

"You can't keep all the butterbeer to yourselves." Michael Corner was yelling.

"Yeah, we can." Theo Nott said back.

"You're an arse Nott." Corner shot back.

"Yeah, but I've got all that butterbeer to make me feel better." Nott said gloatingly. "Now fuck off."

"Oh, just lovely." Parvati said sarcastically.

"You're not getting any either." He said to her.

"Believe me, you have nothing I want." She stressed the nothing and looked him up and down.

Nott narrowed his eyes, "Why do you keep coming over here?"

"Its not our fault, you chose to situate your camp on top of the well." She said. "Bad planning on your part."

"We didn't know the challenge when we chose the place, did we?" He snapped.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Vicky said with amusement. "Has your cushy mattress got a lump in it?"

"Beats whatever squalor you're living in." He said. "Although you're probably used to it."

"Its like he's channelling Malfoy." Parvati said.

"Fuck you, Patil."

"My, my." She said as pushed passed him. "But no thank you."

"As if." He said.

"Ok, I can see why you attacked Malfoy." Parvati said to Hermione. "They are seriously worried about losing aren't they."

"Maybe they've finally realised that they are just losers in general." Vicky said tartly.

Blaise was standing in the doorway that led to the staircase. He had his hands on the arms and was not looking like moving. He was also not looking so impressed and was staring Vicky down. Not overly threatening, but there was definitely an undercurrent which said 'I am so much stronger than you'. It really hit home how large he was. That they were not physically equal anymore like they used to be.

He had definitely filled out over the summer, going from the gawky teenage form they had all pretty much shared towards the one he would have as an adult. And that he was quite comfortable in his new form.

He finally stepped aside leisurely, but not until he gave her a look like, 'you would so have this if you ever got lucky enough'.

"What is with the aggro?" Parvati asked when they walked down the stairs towards the basement.

"Don't ask me." Hermione said. "I gave up trying to understand the Slytherins years ago."

So back in the creepy well room.

"If its something biological, it must be down there somewhere." Parvati said.

"So now what?" Vicky said. "We can't go down there. The water looks really strong. We'd be swept away in seconds."

"And its pitch black." Parvati said. "We'd never be able to see anything."

"That current is really strong." Hermione said.

"They can't possibly mean that we are supposed to go down there. It would be suicide." Vicky said.

"Maybe we are supposed to work it out without risking life and limb." Hermione said. "Not everything excretes toxic hormones."

"A lot of things do." Parvati said. "How are we supposed to determine what it is without having access to the library."

"Well, we know its water borne, that tells us something." Hermione said. "We will just have to narrow it down."

"This is ridiculous." Parvati said. "Let's get out of here."

The Slytherins were luckily gone by the time they got upstairs, to everyone's relief.

Hermione was glad it wasn't just her that was having trouble with the Slytherins. It make her less worried about the fact that she'd had a go at Malfoy.

They wracked their brains trying to think of anything that might be water living and excrete hormones. The list was actually quite long.

There were some things they could test for. Parvati volunteered to go get some more water to the other girls' relief. She was back pretty quickly.

"Very few things live in a current that strong." Vicky said.

"Maybe its not living in the current." Parvati said. "Maybe its being washed down from wherever the water is coming from."

"Which is.."

"The lake." Hermione said.

"How do you know?" Parvati said.

"Its the only large body of water, it would make sense that the well is fed by the lake." Hermione said. "And Vicky is right. That current would not be the natural habitat of many creatures. It is more likely its the lake."

"There are all sorts of things living in the lake." Vicky said.

"It does narrow the list down a bit." Hermione said as she started crossing things off the list.

"There must be some kind of mouth in the lake where the well stream is coming from. Maybe something died and got stuck in the hole." Parvati said.

"No, its a hormone. Dead things don't excrete hormones, just nasty stuff." Vicky answered.

"If its something in the lake, why wouldn't the water be contaminated all the time?" Parvati asked.

"It must dilute in the big lake." Vicky said, "Maybe it is something really close to the mouth."

Hermione was quite impressed with Vicky. Her logic was good.

"Or maybe an event." Hermione said. "Or both."

"We could test to see if its a fish or a mammal."

"The mer people aren't toxic." Parvati said.

"It would rule out some other stuff." Vicky said. "I'm running the test, but it will take a couple of hours."

They had lunch while the test ran its course, with the conclusion that it was a fish. That did jog the memory and a new more species were added to the fish list. A few more hours they had their culpit, Scottish Dengery Fish, which excreted a toxic hormone as part of the spawning process. The spawning ground must be very close to the mouth of the stream to cause such levels of it.

"So we have to find the mouth." Vicky concluded. "I can't swim."

"Really?" Parvati said. "You've never been swimming?"

"I had a bad experience once when I was little."

"I can't go in either." Parvati said. "I've got you know... women's problems. The mer people would be a bit of a problem."

"Guess that leaves me." Hermione said, then under her breath, "What a surprise."

They tramped up to the lake, but it was not close to three in the afternoon, which meant they didn't have long. Even through the nights were still long, the light levels in the lake would drop quite dramatically and no one wanted to be in the lake during the mer people hunting time.

No one had packed for swimming and there wasn't anything in Hermione bag of tricks either. She would just have to swim in her underwear. Who would know?

Turned out the Slytherins might. They were already at the lake. Or at least their clothes were.

"How in the world did they figure it out?" Vicky asked.

"They live under the lake, they probably know everything about it." Parvati said. "They can't win this. That would just be unbearable."

Hermione stripped down to her underwear and waded into the lake. It was cold, it nipped at her skin as it slowly went up her body, covering her in goosebumps and a bit of an ice cream headache. Luckily, it was still late, late summer. In another month, it would be pretty much impossible to swim in the lake.

Hermione did a bubble head charm, so much more practically that Gilly weed, but Harry hadn't known that. Hopefully nothing would attack her like Harry had been assaulted. She really had no idea where this mouth was. She knew exactly what she was looking for, she just didn't know where, but she guessed it would be on the side of the lake towards the township.

She swam around, checking out the sides of the lake for about an hour. She'd found a couple of spots that seemed promising, but the current flow just wasn't strong enough to be the mouth.

She mutely squealed when hands came around her upper arms and held on. She struggled but ended up trapped with a body behind her. A noticeable strong and warm body. But Hermione flexibility got a heel into a thigh and managed to force the grip off her by using he leg muscles. The flashing sight of blond hair only confirmed things.

He grabbed her close again, facing him this time. His arms wre stopping her from grabbing her wand which was under her bra strap.

She couldn't speak, but made her thought obvious while she struggled again the grip. Struggled against the disturbingly warm and toned body. He was dressed in his dark boxer shorts and it was just the most surreal thing seeing Draco Malfoy in his skin. It was only a flashing thought, because Hermione's full attention was on the task of getting him off her. Something she wanted to accomplish without touching him if at all possible. Hermione struggled with the inevitable conclusion that he was stronger than her.

He wasn't letting her go. In fact he brought her into him completely and snaked his arm around her to free his other arm. Ok, this was just surreal, Hermione thought as she struggled harder. Fully squeezed up to him this time. But his other hand was free and he was manoeuvring them downwards now. Towards the bottom of the lake.

She had her hands on his shoulders and was pushing as hard as she could. Her legs would have given more leverage, but she was not about to wrap them around him to find some leverage point. That was just out of the question. Instead she tried to get her knees into his thighs, but wasn't having that much success due to the nearness.

His objective came into view, the Grippy weed, or Execepialga as it was more formally known. He wouldn't dare. But apparently he would. He pushed her down until the weed slunk around her ankles and took hold of her legs. She grabbed onto Malfoy's waist in panic and tried to hold on tight.

She couldn't believe he was doing this to her. He was trying to kill her, she realised. She left red welts from her nails when he finally pulled away. He turned and grinned a meter above her before turning and swimming away.

Hermione couldn't believe he was leaving her here. She grabbed her wand and send a hex his way, but hexes were notoriously inaccurate in water and it missed him. He turned again and smirked even wider. Evil fucking bastard, she thought.

The weed was gripping her tighter and her attention flew to the awful weed that was holding her down. She was panicking as she struggled against it, which made it hold on tighter. She struggled and struggled, but it wouldn't let her go. In the end, she chided herself for acting like Ron. She hated when she acted like Ron. She had a brain for Merlin's sake.

She started to burn off the weeds with hexes until she got free. She wasn't in any real danger until it had her completely and it only had her feet. It took her ten minutes to get away and she swam to the surface.

"You bastard." She screamed as she got out the lake. Malfoy was on the shore, dressed in his black pants, drying himself off with his wand. "You could have killed me."

"Don't be such a drama queen." He said lazily. "Only an idiot can't deal with Grippy weed."

Hermione rushed for him. She wanted to break bones, but the girls were holding her back.

"But you don't have the instincts of a witch, do you?" He said nastily.

Hermione tried to get out of the grip again, she wanted to rip him apart, but the girls were amazingly strong. Ron's instincts were to panic and he was a pureblood, she wanted to yell, but she didn't want to admit that she was bothered or even getting what he was trying to say.

"No self control." Blaise said, making like he was passing judgement. "Stop acting like a child." He said to Hermione.

"Let's go." Theo said. Obviously not amused by any of it.

"Gryffindor sows." They heard one of them say as they walked away.

"Sows?" Parvati said, "How dare they?"

"What happened?" Vicky asked.

"He pushed me into Grippy weed." Hermione said.

"And they are calling us childish?" Vicky said.

Hermione had to concede that Grippy weed wasn't the most lethal thing, but it still felt like she had been attacked. Being man handled by Malfoy was not something she ever wanted to experience. She knew he was getting back at her for attacking him. She still wanted him dead.

At least there were ten long angry red welts down his sides and she hoped they stung like hell.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hermione was down by the lake at the crack of dawn the next day. The other girls were still in bed, but she was going to win this challenge. The cold of the water made her teeth hack, but she didn't care.

The lake was actually quite peaceful this early. It reminded her why she loved Hogwarts. Besides her friends, the place was lovely on its own. As was the magical heartbeat of the place, which made her really proud to be part of it. Even though some were pretty adamant that she didn't belong.

As always, she would show them. Him. She would win this challenge. She would be systematic. She knew what she was looking for and she was not going to give up until she found it. Today was the last day. If no one found it today they will be back here later in the year to pick up where they left off and she didn't want to go swimming then.

She had the lake to herself for two hours before others started turning up. The Ravenclaws were there as was the Slytherins. There was no sight of the Hufflepuffs.

She saw others in the water doing all sort of things. She concluded that some of them were randomly looking for inspiration and she had to hide from one of them who was obviously trying to follow her. She didn't see Malfoy which was unfortunate because she had some choice hexes prepared.

She had even prepared things for when she found the spawning area. She was going to transport it to another part of the lake, where it would be too diluted to contaminate the water.

It was the current tug that gave the mouth away in the end. It didn't look like the hole she'd imagined, covered in moss and large stones. But the slimy looking eggs were not hard to find. They were green with black centres, with what could only be describes as goo surrounding the whole lot.

With her wand, she managed to scoop it all up into a bag. It took some time, but she managed to get most of it.

Hermione was completely paranoid. The last thing she wanted was for Malfoy to push her into the hole, but she got through the operation pretty successfully without molestation. Bastard, she thought as she remembered him sneaking up on her the day before.

She made out like she was still looking for stuff as she swam across the lake, passing both Terry Boot and Su Li, who were on the surface talking to each other, and then Blaise, who fortunately didn't pay her much attention.

She deposited the eggs clear across the lake, kind of hoping she wasn't contaminating anything else. She wondered if she should swim up to the Slytherin common room and deposit it there, but she didn't want the drama in case she was seen.

She swam back as fast as she could and waded out of the water.

"Lets go." She said to the girls who were sharing a rock, waiting.

"Is it over?" Parvati whispered.

"Yes." Hermione said. "Dealt with."

Parvati did a small hand clap that made her look like an excited Chihuahua.

"Why are we whispering?" Vicky whispered. Theo Nott was walking out of the wood towards the lake. "Wonder where he has been. Nevermind, aren't we going to tell anyone. We should just let them know its over."

"Nah, leave them." Hermione said.

"That's so mean." Vicky said.

Hermione shrugged, but couldn't help a smile. They ran back to Hogsmead, to the bell that would tell all that the task was completed. It took ten minutes before Professor McGonagall and Professor Flintwick turned up. The other students also started to arrive, still dripping wet.

Malfoy had a murderous look under the sodden blond locks and Hermione couldn't help but beam a huge smile. His hair actually looked more golden blond when it was wet, she noticed absently. It was nice to smile, it felt like it had been a long time. She didn't actually care that she had won the competition, she was ecstatic that she had beat Malfoy.

"Now, this leg of the tournament is complete if Hermione can tell us what was contaminating the water and what was done to remedy the situation." Professor McGonagall said. "The Mer people will confirm. Hermione."

"It was a Scottish Dengery Fish spawning ground. It was contaminating the water stream with hormonal releases. I moved the spawning ground to the other side of the lake where it will be too dilute to contaminate the Hogwarts water." She said in a loud clear voice.

Filch then came running and whispered something to Professor McGonagall.

"The Mer People have confirmed that the spawning ground has been removed and the water source cleared." Professor McGonagall said with an indulgent smile toward Hermione. "That concludes this section of the tournament. You will now go back to class until the next part. Now you will not discuss the tournament with the other competitors while back at school. You may talk to your housemates, but there will be no competing of any kind being done outside of the allocated competition times here in Hogsmead. Is that understood?"

A 'Yes Professor' was mumbled by the group before they broke up.

"Well done, Hermione." Su Li told her as they walked away. Parvati and Vicky did a bit of a huddle and jumped around to celebrate their victory.

"So we can't talk about the competition at school with the other competitors." Parvati said. "That's a bit weird."

"I think they are trying to stop us from getting to ahead of ourselves if the tasks flow over from one session to the next." Hermione speculated. "Otherwise people might be setting up all sorts of alliances, I guess."

"An alliance with the Ravenclaws would be good." Vicky said.

"Obviously they don't want that to happen."

There was a further celebration in the Gryffindor common room, but Hermione's good victory feeling just couldn't be maintained. Once the initial celebration as held after dinner, she went to bed. It must have been 8.30, but she was exhausted.

She slept until someone had to wake her for class. She considered skipping it, but their persistence made her relent just to get them to stop bugging her.

She sat through Charms, not really hearing what Flintwick was saying. She wasn't thinking about anything particular, just kind of staring into space.

After lunch she went to the library and tried to work on her Transfigurations homework, but her heart just wasn't in it. She figured watching Ron slobber all over Romilda Vane was putting her off it. It certainly put her off her lunch.

It was potions in the afternoon, which meant the ever lovely company of the Slytherins. Hermione wasn't sure she had the patience, but Harry came and got her. He wanted to talk about what they were going to do after NEWTs. Hermione just couldn't care less, but Harry was pretty excited about Auror training. She let him talk, made an 'uh huh' sound whenever one seemed to be required.

Malfoy was already there when they walked in. The new teacher was starting class, she couldn't even remember her name. Hermione did make an effort to half listen, but again ended up staring at the wall.

Half way through she caught Malfoy's eye and he stared her down. Whatever, she thought. Although the reminder that she won warmed the cockles of her heart for a minute. So she smiled sweetly at him and his scowl got even deeper.

When class finally ended. Ron ran off the instant it was over to find Romilda and Harry was wandering out with Ginny. They were all in the same classes now. Revolting as it was seeing them so googly eyes all the time.

Malfoy stood in her way as she made to leave. After heaving her heavy bag onto her shoulder. He actually took up most of the room between the desks.

"You can't talk to me." Hermione said as he blocked her exit.

"I can't talk to you about the competition." He said.

"We have nothing else to talk about." She said.

"We've managed to talk about your inadequacies over the last seven years, I am sure we can find some unexplored part of that topic. It is after all so vast."

"Get out of my way, Malfoy." She demanded. "Or I will report you and then you will be out of the competition. Not that it would be much of a loss for your team."

He seemed to itch to say something, but finally gave into his better judgement.

"You're a bitch." He finally said.

"Ahhh, sour grapes." She said. "There is a surprise. Even your predictability is completely predictable."

"You can't talk about the competition either." He said. "Don't tell me the goody two shoes is breaking the rules. Because I will take the first opportunity to have you thrown out. Expelled if I can manage it."

"Don't worry Malfoy, not speaking to you would actually be a pleasure." She said and shoved past him.

She was good to her word too. She didn't speak a single word to Malfoy, and he didn't speak a single word to her. There were lots of nasty looks from him, pretty much at every opportunity. It was like he was trying to get all his vileness into those looks. Hermione didn't mind, she could just look away and then ignore him completely. It was really nice, she had the power, because although he seemed to want to engage with her to communicate what was on his twisted, and largely vacant mind, she would just ignore him.

The weeks passed, Hermione tried to keep up with her homework and it was a concerted effort. Her grades were slipping, which distressed her, but obviously not enough to get her fired up again.

Time was relentlessly rolling on as it always seemed to do no matter how hard you wanted it not to. It had its own pace irrespective of what it was doing to you. Time was approaching for the second part of the tournament. Hermione felt a bit of tension, maybe a bit of anticipation. It would break up the monotony of what had become her school life. Forcing herself to do homework she didn't care about, trying to pay attention in class. But mostly, she slept when she could.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hermione could feel a knot of anticipation in her stomach as she woke up. They were off to Hogsmead again today. She would be leaving Harry and Ron behind for the aggravation of the tournament. That was alright. Now that the world was no longer being threatened by the forces of darkness, their only focus in live was exploring their budding sexuality.

Hermione had no interest in that. It was still something largely unexplored on her part. Her interest in Ron withered during the war and there hadn't been even anything remotely romantic in her life since. Ginny seemed to think there were loads of boys who would love to go out with her, but Hermione didn't notice them and she wasn't particularly interested anyway. It did bother her once in a while, her lack of interest in boys, but there was precious little she was interested in at the moment.

But there was a certain excitement about today; going down to Hogsmead. Mostly she just wanted to beat Malfoy and a new opportunity to show him that his blood could only get him so far. In the end, intelligence and knowledge counted for something. She knew he wasn't stupid, but she was smarter. She always had been. And that has always messed with his little theory of superiority.

She recalled his sour look when she won the last challenge. Well, she was going to repeat that, just to prove the point.

Breakfast was over pretty quickly and the students gathered for the competitor send off.

"Its pretty awesome everyone supporting you." Parvati said.

"Is it?" Hermione asked.

"Everyone has turned out, wishing us luck." Parvati continued. "Depending on us."

Hermione had a look over at the Slytherin area, where the three competitors were cautiously surrounded. Not in the friendly way that Gryffindor supporters made their sentiments known.

Draco looked over at her, seeming to sense her attention. He narrowed his eyes at her and Hermione rolled hers. His hostile little stares were getting really old. Impotent really.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle while Hermione was thinking about Draco's inadequacies. All the teams set off at a brisk pace, not quite running, but not leisurely either. Which turned out to be unnecessary as all the teams took up their old camps.

Hermione went through the process of setting up the tent and warding the place which was ritualistic to her, still a strong reminder of other times. But the stress was still there in her bones, the knowledge that if she did it wrong they might all die because of it. No one was going to die now, but the stress was just as real. It felt like a heavy weight that drained her of all energy. Any enthusiasm she had been able to muster dissipated with this ritual and all the horrible things it reminded her off.

When she was done, she stared out the window. There was no one in the street and there was no indication of life inside the Three Broom sticks. She truly did hate Malfoy. She would never be able to forgive him for being the enemy. For being so completely callous. Part of her knew he had little choice in how the war played out, but on the other hand, he didn't try hard enough. He put everyone at true risk when he should have had a duty of care for the people of his generation. They had never been friends and never would be, but to sell out his school mates to a total nutter was just unforgivable.

Realistically she knew there was nothing he could have done and survived, but emotionally she still felt completely betrayed. He had tried when the snatchers brought them in, but it hadn't been good enough. She hated his weakness. She hated Ron's weakness and she hated Dumbledore's weakness. She hated all the people who had let this happen through their own weakness. Voldemort was a problem of their generation, but instead of taking care of it, they left the mess to children to clean up. She felt like they had all stolen from her. Stolen her childhood. Harry was practically pre-teen when they all abdicated their responsibility.

Hermione tried to shake all the morose thoughts off her. It got her nowhere to dwell. Besides, Parvati's yells indicated that their task instruction had arrived.

"Open it." Vicky demanded.

Parvati tore open the envelope.

"What?" Parvati said dismay. "They want us to build a town clock tower. With astrological account."

Vicky's enthusiasm seemed to die.

"Build?" Vicky said. "We don't build things. How are we supposed to build something like a clock tower? Nothing new has been built here since probably the middle ages. Or did I miss the day they covered construction in our lessons."

"This is ridiculous." Parvati agreed.

"Where are we supposed to get material?" Hermione wondered. "Its not like there is a builders yard here."

"Maybe we are supposed to scavenge." Parvati said.

"Maybe we're supposed to fell wood and mine iron." Vicky pitched in with sarcasm.

"Well, we have to do it, so we must think of a way." Hermione said.

"I suppose we could demolish the Shrieking Shack." Vicky said. "It won't miss a few planks. Its not like it serves a purpose anyway."

"Lucky we have Wiseacres then." Pavati said. "The home of allsort magical objects. There must be all sorts of tools in here that no one else has access to."

"Pity." Vicky said with false sympathy.

"The others are talking on the street." Parvati said. "Lets see what they say."

They walked out and it seemed others have some reservations about the task as well.

"So there will be four different clock towers in Hogsmead when we're done." Michael Corner said. "Wouldn't it make more sense if we all worked together and created one."

"But that's not a competition, is it?" Theo Nott said.

"There isn't the material available to build four towers." Someone said.

"This place is full of materials." Nott said.

"So what, tear someone's house apart?" Ernie Macmillan said.

Theo gave a shrug.

"Do you think Theo is hot?" Vicky whispered in Hermione's ear.

"What?" She said shocked. "No." Actually she had never thought of him as anything other than an annoying pest. It was kind of shocking anyone could see him as anything but. To even estimate his hotness was a completely ridiculous concept.

"It can still be a competition if we build one tower." Su Li said.

"No it can't." Nott said.

"Maybe its to see who can work best together and achieve a common goal." Justin said.

"Maybe if we split up into two teams and build two towers." Terry Booth said. "We only have three days."

It did make sense, according to Hermione. It seemed to make sense to other too.

"We'll go with the Gryffindors." Michael Corner said.

"We're not going with the Hufflepuffs." Malfoy said, standing a little behind Theo.

Indignant noises came from the Hufflepuffs. In truth, they really didn't want to be with the Slytherins. No one did, unless you were keen on three days of abuse.

"Ok, we will draw straws." Su Li said.

It was quiet for a while as people considered it. But no one objected. It was fair and everyone had equal chance to get saddled with the Slytherins.

Terry Boot went and got four straws from a planter box. "Two short and two long. Whoever draws equal length are a team. He hid the straws in his hand and moved it to one of his team members to draw the first straw. It was long. Then Theo who was short, which brought a sigh of relief from the Ravenclaws.

Parvati was next and it was short.

"No!", she exclaimed while there was a joyous applause from the Hufflepuffs. Hermione closed her eyes in vexation and cursed her unbelievable bad luck. "Best two out of three." Parvati tried.

"Sorry, Parvati." Terry said with amusement. "Straws don't work that way. You're got your team."

The Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs left, leaving the girls and the Slytherins in the street with an awkward silence. Parvati was still holding onto the straw with an irrational hope that this could all be undone.

Hermione wondered if they might be better off building their own, but in three days it would be an impossible task. And even if they won as a team, they would still be ahead of the Slytherins as they had won the previous task. If they lost, they would be equal to the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs, while the Slytherins had nothing. It could be worse.

"We need to do some planning." Theo said. "We will meet at the Three Broom Sticks."

"We are not going to your camp." Vicky said.

"Oh yeah." Theo shot back. "We have a bar that is made for sitting around and talking. Plus drinks. Or you prefer to grovel around the floor in your little shop."

Theo had a point, but everyone hated it.

"Fine." Parvati said. "Lets go."

Hermione didn't mind. It was better to plan at theirs rather than adjust the wards at their own camp to let in the Slytherins. They were after all what was generally sought to be kept out.

"A clock would have two main components." Theo said as they sat down in the bar area. It was uncomfortable sitting there with the Slytherins. Of all the bad luck, they had to work with the Slytherins.

"The tower and the clock mechanism." Theo continued.

"Hermione is really good at Arithmancy, she will work on the clock mechanism." Vicky announced.

"Blaise, you will work on the clock mechanism." Theo said.

"Malfoy is better at arithmancy." Blaise said.

"Malfoy will build the tower." Theo said.

"But he is better at arithmancy." Blaise pressed.

"He will work on building the tower." Theo repeated with some kind of warning that was some unspoken communications between them.

"Fine." Malfoy said and stepped away from the group.

"I will work with Hermione." Vicky said.

"I don't want to build." Parvati shot in.

"No you have to help Malfoy build." Theo said. "I, Blaise and Hermione will work on the mechanism."

"Not going to happen." Vicky said. Hermione knew that she was trying to protect her as everyone knew she'd been the brunt of the Slytherins' ire for years.

Nott gave her an annoyed look to say that she was being ridiculous.

"But Malfoy would be better at it than both of us." Blaise said indignantly.

"Just let it go, Blaise." Theo said with a raised voice then turned back to Vicky. "Fine. Me, you and Hermione will work on the clock mechanism. The others will build the tower."

"We need materials." Vicky said sharply. "Stone, wood and metal. We can get stone and wood from the Shrieking Shack."

Nott seemed to think it over. "Good." He finally said. "We will have to go looking for metal."

"Fine." Vicky said.

Hermione had sat with her arms crossed the entire time. This was going to be hell, she conceded.

"So, lets go look for metal." Theo said to Vicky. There was something challenging in his eyes when he said it. Hermione was bored. "Blaise, you and Draco draw up the clock tower and try to determine the amount of material we need to get from the Shrieking Shack."

Malfoy was standing behind the bar. He looked unhappy and uncomfortable. Probably the presence of such tainted blood in his camp, Hermione thought to herself. Well, he was just going to have to get used to it because they were going to be here for three long, long days.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hermione spent the rest of the day studying Theo Nott's watch. Just one of those things she'd never guessed she'd end up doing. Basically they needed to build a bigger version of it. There wasn't enough metal in the little watch to just increase its size. Adding the astrological stuff was a bit more complex, but it was just another wheel and they would have to work out the calculation.

They'd chosen their clock tower location not far away from the Three Broom Sticks. It was convenient to both of their camps.

It wasn't bad working with Nott. He worked hard and kept his opinions about her and her blood to himself. He also seemed to respect her opinion. Vicky took responsibility for the drawing and recording the measures and specifications.

Parvati brought some sandwiches for them at one point. She complained bitterly that Malfoy and Blaise was treating her like a donkey, loading her up with material she needed to cart back. Apparently one of the shacks outhouses was being completely demolished for its stone. And they were taking the staircase wholesale.

Dinner was a muted affair. Parvati prepared it in the kitchen and they all sat and ate in virtual silence.

Hermione, Theo and Vicky worked late into the night. The other seemed to have given up a few hours earlier, which wasn't a surprise, because even though they used magic, carting around materials over and over again took its toll.

Vicky was already asleep when they decided to call it a night. Hermione gave her a nudge and told her to head back. Hermione made some final changes to the plan before she gave up for the night.

She left Nott behind in the room they had picked as their work room and started to head home.

Hermione gritted her teeth as she saw Malfoy coming up the stairs when she was heading down. She thought about turning around, but it would be too noticeable, she decided.

He seemed to notice her too after a few steps and stopped, tilted his head back so he could look down his nose at her, which was quite an achievement considering she was above him on the stairs. She gripped her wand in her pocket. He started walking up the stairs and Hermione took a few steps down. When he got to her, he walked her into the wall. Not so much touching her, just trying to intimidate her.

Hermione couldn't help her pulse jumping into her throat. Again he smirked before taking a step back, happy with the point he'd made. He stepped up the stairs again.

"You going to spend your whole life being a bully?" She asked, angry that he was trying to scare her, because she was not scared of him. She wasn't scared of anything, least of all him.

"Sometimes you just have to get your point across." He said, now standing above her on the stairs.

"Yeah, you've been trying to seven years." She said. "No one cares."

"You don't belong.."

"Don't belong here." She mimics. "I've heard it all before." She said dismissively and turned away.

She heard Draco mutter a hex and snapped around just in time to deflect it. She stared at him. He had just attacked her with magic.

"You need to watch your tone." He said viciously.

"Fuck you, Malfoy." She said. "You want to have it out with me. Then do it, but don't be such a coward and hit me in the back."

He didn't answer, he just stared at her.

"I don't have time for this." She said with a shake of her head. "I have no time for you."

This seemed to upset him because his face scrunched up with anger and he was getting ready for another hex.

Hermione deflected whatever it was and it seemed to burn a hole into the wall next to her. It wasn't some innocent childhood hex, it was a serious injury hex. Unbelievable, she thought. First the grippy weed, which could have been childish rough-housing, but this hex would have hurt. She sent a Relashio hex at him, which he deflected without much effort.

What the hell was this, she wondered. But footsteps were running towards them and Nott appeared on the stairway.

"What the fuck?" He yelled. Both Draco and Hermione looked at him. "Have you lost your fucking mind?" He yelled at Draco. "I'm sorry Granger, that won't ever happen again."

Hermione nodded and turned to leave, but not before giving Draco one of her looks that made both Harry and Ron avoid her for the rest of the day.

That night she had dreams. Dreams about being chased and she ran and ran, but there was also an underlying thrill of running the risk of being caught.

She was grumpy when she woke up. She remembered Draco's behaviour as soon as she woke. He was out of line attacking her, from behind no less. It hadn't been a full on fight, they had thrown a couple of hexes at each other then just stood there and stared. He was just a sore loser, unable to accept that his side lost once and for all. Nothing he did was going to change that. Nothing he did was going to make her worry about it. Or about him. If he ever tried anything again, she was really going to go for it.

They got dressed and trudged over to the Three Broom Sticks after a quick breakfast. They were going to build the clock mechanism today. It was a beautiful day but even the brilliant day would not lift the mood. They walked past the spot where the clock tower was mapped out on the ground. There were piles of materials from their efforts the day before.

"I don't think I can bare another day of this." Parvati said. "They are just awful."

"Nott's not too bad." Vicky said.

"Well that is just great." Parvati said. "Because the other two are pants."

"Let's just get through the day." Hermione said. "After tomorrow we won't have to work together with them anymore."

Hermione and Vicky spent the morning upstairs in their workroom melting down any brass objects they'd found in their savaging. It was actually quite tricky getting the melted metal to form rings, which ended up being rough needed tons of finishing and polishing.

Parvati had prepared lunch for everyone and loved any opportunity to be away from Draco and Blaise. They all ate in silence in the bar area again.

Theo asked the other boys how they were getting on as a bit of an impromptu team catch up, somehow he had been handed the leadership role somewhere along the way and luckily no one contested it. Apparently they were making good progress, but could do more if they had more people. Theo agreed that Vicky could help and as Vicky was pretty comfortable with how Theo worked so she didn't mind.

The meeting was adjourned and everyone got up to do whatever they had to. Hermione took her plate to bring back to the kitchen before going into the bathroom. As she got out of the kitchen, her way was blocked by her less favourite Slytherins.

"Out of my way, Malfoy." She ordered as he blocked her way.

He eyed her for a moment and she looked annoyed. Not his dramatics again, she thought, but he stepped aside after a moment of dragging his feet.

"Frigid cow." He said he said as she walked past him.

"Oh you can't be serious." Hermione said returning to stand right in his face. "Your jibes about my blood not having an effect, so now you resort to derogatory remarks because I don't find you remotely attractive. Well, lets not have any illusions, I don't find you attractive, in fact, everything about you is revolting. I'm glad we cleared that up."

"I am pretty sure you don't find anyone attractive Granger." He said drawing up to his full height so he was again looking down his nose at her. "You're holding onto you virginity so tight, you'd think your life depended on it."

It was true she was a virgin, but she refused to be embarrassed about it. Her virginity was something special and it would be shared with someone special, not just some drunken fumbling in some dark corner.

"Don't you worry about my virginity, it isn't and will never be something that concerns you." She said as snidely as she could manage.

"Will you two stop it!" Theo yelled from across the room. "You're acting like children. Grow up both of you. Can't you get on for two minutes, for Merlin's sake."

She hated that he sounded just like her. That was something she had said a million times to Harry and Ron. She conceded it was perhaps a little juvenile, but she refused to look away from the staring competition that was going on between them.

"Pathetic." She finally said and watched as his eyes widened a bit.

"You go upstairs." Theo said to her sternly. "And you go outside Malfoy."

It took Hermione a few minutes to get the adrenalin out of her system, a good deal of internal swearing at the blond ferret was helping. She was kind of glad because she felt she scored a point or two in that encounter. It was childish, but it gave a great deal of pleasure.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hermione didn't sleep well that night. She was cold and the fire had died out, but she was too tired to get up and do something about it. She tried not to think about Malfoy, but he just wouldn't leave her mind. She wanted to see him in some serious pain. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. Seriously, who did he think he was? Maybe he was going to be one of those guys that cling to the old glory days. Sad really, because they were well over now.

Morning finally came. It was nice to see morning, in all its cold and frosty glory. The days were still fairly warm, but the nights were cold. She needed to get up, but she didn't want to get pummelled with the cold air. She grabbed her wand and cast a warming spell on the clothes. She wore jeans and a sweater. Muggle clothes. A bit of a 'fuck you' to Malfoy.

When she was younger, she was a bit self conscious about wearing muggle clothes. Malfoy would always make derisive commend on them, but as time went by, she made a point of not listening to his jibes. To be honest, if he was going to be around, she would wear muggle clothes just to piss him off.

It was a slow start. Parvati was sore and took a long bath to get her muscles loosened up. Vicky was cooking breakfast. None of them were dying to get over to the Three Broomsticks.

"We're making good time." Vicky said. "The boys seem to have built a lot of the clock tower. We should be able to make it. Although I haven't really seen how the other tower is fairing."

"I'm sure one of the Slytards has checked it out." Hermione said. "It it involves sneaking and espionage, I'm sure they can't restrain themselves." That made Vicky giggle.

"They are awful, aren't they?" Vicky said. "Theo is the best out of the lot, but that's starting from a really low base."

"Let's just get through today and we'll be done with them." Hermione said.

The sun was starting to gently warm the world up by the time they joined their 'team'.

"Had a bit of a sleep in?" Blaise said when they got outside.

"Yes, can you imagine, when we were so eager to spend another day with you." Vicky said with dripping sarcasm. "We were trying to restrain ourselves from breaking down your room at the crack of dawn."

"If you were that eager, you could just have spent the night." Blaise said. "Our nice warm beds are rather large and welcoming."

"And yet, it didn't happen." Vicky said. "Maybe if you hold your breath."

"Lets go find Nott." Hermione said to Vicky, bored with the conversation.

"Poor Blaise." Vicky said overly loud as they walked up the stairs. "Got stuck in this competition without anyone wanting to sleep with him. Must hurt the ego, the carefully constructed delusion that he's awesome."

They heard a bit of a clang downstairs as they walked towards their work room. Nott was already there.

"About time." He said. "The other team is doing alright. We're ahead of course, but not by enough to sit on our laurels. We have to put in some good work today, and we'll have it in the bag."

Hermione went to work on the clock mechanisms. There was still a bit of work to do before they could assemble it. They would have to take it downstairs to do so, but it would take until lunch to complete the work on finishing it off.

They worked through lunch, Parvati provided sandwiches and some boiled eggs. It took all three of them to carry the largest of the gear rings down and they set them out of some tables they had carried outside.

The tower looked like it was close to completion, but a rumbling sound made them whip around. At first it was hard to tell what happened as there was too much dust.

"What the hell?" Parvati said running outside.

"Malfoy? Blaise?" Nott called into the dust cloud.

"It collapsed." Vicky said with astonishment. "I hope they're alright."

"Fuck!" They heard a yell, Blaise. "It fucking collapsed. I can't believe it."

"Malfoy?" Nott called again. "You alright?"

"I'm fine." They heard from the other side of the dust cloud.

They stood there in silence as the dust cleared a bit.

"Its wrecked." Parvati said as it cleared and she was right, it wasn't just a stone or two that fell down. It was the whole tower.

"Well, we'll just... fuck!" Nott yelled.

"We'll never catch up now. We're a whole day behind. The others are just about to start assembling their clock." Vicky said.

"And they've got a tower to stick it in." Hermione said tersely. "Oh, well done."

Blaise threw a crow bar down and strode inside. He slammed the door behind him.

"We'll never catch up." Vicky said. "We might as well not bother."

"Unbelievable." Hermione said. "Seriously Malfoy, can't you do anything unless you pay someone to do it for you."

Malfoy stared at the pile of rocks. The muscles in his jaw were rippling with tension.

"Never mind mate, it could have happened to anyone." Nott said half heartedly.

"Fuck off, Nott." Malfoy said quietly.

Hermione walked back to Wiseacres. Parvati and Vicky joined her after a few minutes.

"Guess that was that." Parvati said. "Never mind, we still have one challenge. So we are equal with the others. Its nothing we can't gain back in the next challenge."

"Now the only team without any point is the Slytherins. It will be worth it just for that." Vicky said with an amused tone. "Especially if we win the next one. That would just burn. You know, I would be happy with this tournament if the only outcome was that the Slytherins didn't win."

Me too, Hermione thought. And the thought lifted her mood significantly.

The other team finished three hours later. They could hear the chime of the clock and the big cheer from the competitors.

They walked out into the street. Might as well congratulate the winning team. They had to be present for the points award anyway.

"Even the fucking Hufflepuffs have got a point." Blaise said to Nott as they walked down the road. Malfoy was following behind. He looked like someone had killed his kitten, Hermione thought. Actually he looked like the day they'd put Daddy dearest in jail.

Sucks to be you, Hermione thought to herself, maybe he'll finally realise that.

Professor McGonagall and Hagrid showed up and awarded the points jointly to the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. They all had equal amount of points, except the Slytherins who had none.

The Hufflepuffs were jumping around with delight. One might think that they didn't really expect to win challenges. The Ravenclaws looked pleased and went to pack.

Hermione and the girls were already packed, there was nothing else to do while they were waiting for the other team to finish. The Slytherins were not far behind them as they were walking back to Hogwarts.

The whole student body met them at the gate cheering them. There were a few jibes and heckles for the Slytherins.

Harry and Ron were waiting not far away.

"Didn't win this one?" Ron said.

"No." Hermione said. "The Slytherins screwed up and lost it for us. If not for them we probably would have won. Actually Nott was alright, but Malfoy and Zabini completely ruined it."

"Not really a surprise." Ron said. "Should teach you for partnering up with them."

"We didn't do it by choice, believe me."

The Slytherins walked passed as they were talking.

"Slimy git." Ron said as Malfoy passed.

Hermione watched as he walked into the castle, back ram rod straight. He had put on his suit jacket, and looked impeccable. The contrast between his white hair and the black clothes were stark. He could have been a black and white photo. He had obviously cleaned his clothes off from all the dust. Only he would worry about his looks above all else.

The dinner was a boisterous affair that night. Malfoy didn't come down to dinner and for some reason that pleased Hermione. Ah, poor thing, had been chased away from dinner by his own incompetence. Hermione felt as good that evening as if she'd won, maybe even better.

The festivities were passed the next day. Classes were back on and Hermione needed to catch up. She had Arithmancy in the morning. It was a small class and she was late. The class had already started when she got there. She made her excuses to the professor. Luckily she was forgiven. He could have given her detention. Hermione wasn't used to detention, but her tardiness lately was starting to wear on some of the professors. She just couldn't get her act together as of late.

The tension in Malfoy's jaw returned as she walked passed, and she almost slowed down to enjoy it. She turned around and looked at him when she found her seat. He looked murderous. Hermione smiled and turned around to face the front.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The elation of the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw victory eased the next day as life got back to normal. Hermione had trouble maintaining her good mood. She actually missed the tournament, even though she hated it when she was there, being back in classes wasn't much better. She couldn't be bothered keeping up with who Ron and Harry were currently dating. The work wasn't engaging her and everyone else seemed to be obsessed with sex. It all just seemed so pointless.

The days passed and settled into this relentless boredom that felt completely suffocating. The girls were beyond annoying with all the giggling and gossiping. It just seemed so inane. She couldn't be bothered with it. She avoided situations where she would be drawn into such useless girly activities. Actually she avoided situations period. She had to muster the energy to answer questions put to her. If it was all the same, she would probably prefer not speaking at all.

Showers were good. They were the saving grace. Warm water washing away the bothers, pains and aches. The only breaks in the monotonous schedule. Although the schedule was everything, it told her when to sleep, eat, sit and stare at a professor, get up and move. The schedule ruled her life at the moment, it told her what to do and she could leave everything to its wisdom.

There was more noise in the populous than normal, it was the run up to the Christmas ball. Gowns, hair, makeup etc. Stuff Hermione couldn't bring herself to care about. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she was going with Reggie Halthorp. Apparently he was a Ravenclaw interested in her and somehow it had ended up that they were going together.

Hermione was a bit surprised by this development, but she didn't question it. Going to the ball was just the thing to do and it would have focused everyone's attention on her if she refused. The last thing she wanted was everyone gathering around and asking how she was. So she would go with Reggie, she would wear either the navy or yellow dress, whichever ended up being Ginny's second preference.

And then when the ball was over, then it was just a few days until Christmas. She wasn't sure how she felt about Christmas. There was a little hope in her that maybe if she was away from here, maybe she would feel better.

The ever moving schedule kept the time moving. She went to class, she went to dinner, she went to bed. Weekends were the worst. She would sneak off and sit on the hill above Hagrid's hut and stare at the other hills, but it was a luxury she couldn't afford for too long or someone would notice. Plus she would get really cold if she stayed there too long. It was just so nice and quiet. And the skin on her hands and face would burn after, when she went inside.

Ball day came. It was mayhem in the girls dorm. Hermione spent most of the day in the library, but she couldn't really focus on the books. She ended up doodling most of the day. Shortly before the ball, she went back to her dorm and put on the navy dress Ginny left behind. Her black pumps didn't quite match, but she didn't care.

Reggie met her outside of portal, like a good little dog. He chatted and Hermione tried to supply the necessary nods and smiles. Harry gave her a wave in the Great Hall, it was lit up brightly with music already playing. Harry was with Romilda Vane, which surprised Hermione. Ron was with some girl Hermione didn't know. It seemed the boys were venturing a little further afield. Whatever.

Reggie brought Hermione to the area where the Ravenclaws were. Hermione didn't mind the Ravenclaws on the whole. They were alright.

"You look lovely, Hermione." Terry Boot said. "That dress really suits you."

"Thanks." Hermione said. She was pretty sure he was clueless because the dress didn't really fit that well. "Congratulations on your clock tower, it was a good tower."

"We're not supposed to talk about the tournament here." Terry warned her.

"I know." She said. "Just saying congratulations."

"Sorry yours didn't work out."

"I'm not." She said with a snort. Terry gave her an odd look then looked around to see if anyone was watching.

"I guess it was difficult to work with the Slytherins."

"It does take some self control not to murder them." Hermione said. "It is just so tempting."

Terry laughed and then clapped her awkwardly on the back before walking off.

The dancing started and Reggie was obviously anxious so Hermione let him lead her onto the dance floor. It was a ball after all, and the schedule of the evening said it was dancing time. Can't go wrong with schedules.

Reggie had clammy hands, which was a bit disconcerting. He was relatively nice otherwise. But it was nice to get away from the clammy hand thing during the switch partner dances. Until things weren't so nice.

"Could have made an effort, Granger." Came the voice she liked the least of all. "Did you get dressed in the dark."

"I was in a hurry." She said. As always, he was immaculately groomed. His dark dress robes were too good to be showy, but there was no doubt that they were expensive and the epitome of taste. Expensive enough to present the wearer very well.

"Did you even bother to brush your hair?" He said with obvious distaste.

"Nope."

"Are you making your slobbiness some kind of statement of principle?" He asked. "Like I am too good to dress properly. Or maybe you think your mind is so impressive, you don't need to bother with such trivial matters."

Hermione didn't bother to answer. She didn't want to explain anything, least of all to him. She wasn't sure she could even if she wanted to. Ever since her first ball in forth year, she had paid meticulous attention to her ball appearance, had loved finding the perfect dress, all the girly things. She didn't generally do very girly things, but a ball was a call to exercise that part of her. But that part was now decidedly missing.

"You know me," she said, "couldn't get it together if I tried. I guess when it comes down to it, we're both guilty of that aren't we? Although for myself, I would rather come through when it actually matters. I suppose that is just how we're different, I guess I am a work horse and you're a show pony." She knew it was a cheap jibe and it certainly hit its mark because his face clouded over. "Call it principle if you like."

"Bitch." He said and gripped her tightly by the elbow, a grip that hurt. Might even leave a bruise. And then it was time to switch partners. Hermione turned away without looking back.

Hermione felt kind of lighter after that. She felt like she had off-loaded some of her awful disposition on him. He certainly didn't like being reminded of his failure. If anyone should be feeling bad, it should be him.

Hermione didn't get a chance to see him again because she left shortly after. And she felt nice and sleepy, even though it was probably only ten o'clock. She wondered if his scowly mood stayed with him. She hoped it ruined his night.

She slept through the after party and judging from the wrecks crawling into bed the next morning, it was a good one. The room smelled like stale alcohol when Hermione woke up at dawn, but it didn't matter, she went back to sleep. She didn't wake up again until lunch time and some of the girls were consoling a crying Parvati.

Obviously something had happened.

"I can't believe he's such an arsehole." One of the girls was saying. "Seriously someone should teach him a lesson."

"If he thinks I am just going to feel used, he is wrong." Parvati was saying through her tears. "Because he's a total shit."

Hermione went to the bathroom and ran into Ginny there.

"Good night?" Ginny said.

"Alright." Hermione said.

"I didn't see you much."

"Kept it pretty low key. What's up with Parvati?" Hermione asked.

"She spent the night with Blaise Zabini." Ginny said. "They... you know. And then he kicked her out."

Hermione nodded as she absorbed the news. "Really, what did she expect?"

"Its a pretty shitty thing to do." Ginny said.

"Since when did Slytherins do thing any other way?"

"True." Ginny said. "But he was laying on the charm last night and he can be very charming when he wants to."

"How could she have been so stupid for fall for it?" Hermione asked.

"She wouldn't be the first." Ginny said. "Probably won't be the last either."

The news of Blaise's conquest was all over the school the next morning. The Slytherins were in high spirits. Even Malfoy was enjoying the house victory. The very public and cruel humiliation of Parvati.

Why does he look so pleased? Hermione thought as she watched Malfoy, he didn't do anything. Since when was humiliating a girl a team sport. Before long, Malfoy noticed her attention and his happy mood seemed to seep away. Hermione hated him, hated all of them. They kept their staring contest up for a while, until Harry plonked himself down in her line of sight.

"I had a fantastic night." Harry said. "You look serious."

"Just thinking about how badly we're going to bitch-slap the Slytherins in the next challenge."

"That's the spirit." Harry said happily.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hermione woke up with anticipation. It was the morning of the third challenge of the tournament. She had actually felt the anticipation building since yesterday, which was a nice break from the ...boringness of everyday life. Sometimes she wondered if the tournament was the only thing holding her together. Some days she wondered if she should just start walking, pick a direction and start walking. Never look back.

The only thing that stayed her was this competition, actually it was beating them, or to be really specific, it was to beat him. She wanted to rub his face in the dirt, preferably with her boot on his neck.

She was still sleeping a lot, which was a bit better than Ron and Harry's sleeping around. They were drinking as well. The school had given them tutors to make up for the fact that they were failing their classes. But all in all, they were having a fantastic time. The school hadn't dared kick them off the quidditch team and Hermione suspected that the whole world was more interested in the seeming normality over the actual normality. Because nothing felt normal underneath the nice, well kept surface.

But now it was tournament time. Time for the Slytherins' demise and time for revenge for Parvati. Who didn't seem to look forward to the challenge at all. She had actually tried to get someone to replace her, but McGonagall had said no.

The lined up after breakfast and waited at the gates. Some were excited. Hermione couldn't jump around like the Hufflepuffs, but it was enough for her to feel excitement. She didn't feel any need to share that feeling. Parvati was less than excited and Vicky joined her in staring hate holes in the Slytherins.

The Slytherins didn't look all that excited either, being reminded of their previous failure. The start call came and they all wandered out of the gate towards Hogsmeade. No one was in any particular hurry, because everyone seemed to agree that they all had their camps.

They spent an hour setting up their camp. Hermione warded the Wiseacres shop to within an inch of its life, while the other prepared things for lunch. The directions for the challenge would come through soon, and they may not have time to prepare lunch later. And then it was just a matter of waiting.

The note arrived by owl about half an hour later. The task was to redesign Hogsmeade for a growing population and to build a functional model including resources to support the build as well as the population.

"Seriously. Another useless task. Nothing has changed in this village for probably a thousand years." Vicky said. "Where do they get these ideas?"

"And its not like the wizard population is growing by any means." Hermione said. In fact it was in decline, further aggravated by the losses of the war.

"Well, we know the water supply is good." Parvati said.

"So how many people live in Hogsmeade anyway? I guess we should build a town for twice the current population. We should just make the inhabitants marry. Most of them live on their own. There, problem solved."

"I guess we should map the town." Parvati continued.

"I've got a map in one of the books in my bag. It actually details a lot about the town." Hermione said.

"Why would you have that in your bag?" Parvati wondered accusingly.

"I thought it might come in use. We are in this town after all."

They went out and surveyed the township for new house sites. They found the Ravenclaws huddled around a snow covered well. They shivered in the cold wind. The Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins were nowhere in sight.

"Bet the Slytherins are building the pureblood nirvana." Vicky said.

"Arseholes." Parvati piped in.

"Thank god we don't have to work with them again." Vicky said.

They went back inside and spent the rest of the day making lists of things they had to find out, had to do and had to work out. Occasionally one of them would have to wonder outside to check on something. They worked better if they split the tasks up between them.

When the day came to a close, they decided to head over to the Hufflepuffs for dinner. The Hufflepuffs were always up for entertaining. The Ravenclaws had the same idea. And somehow they'd gotten their hands on some alcohol as well. At a press, the Hufflepuffs always seemed to have some around.

It was a fun evening, but they weren't having enough fun to get totally carried away. The girls actually returned back to camp with Hermione when she was ready. It was dark outside and snowing again. It had quite an isolating effect, supported by the relaxing effect of the alcohol in them.

"That was a nice evening." Vicky said. "I'm full."

"Me too."

"If it isn't the Gryffindor whores." They heard to the left of them.

"Oh joy." Hermione said as dryly as she could as she noticed Blaise and Draco. "Are you hanging out here in the cold to find someone to pick on?"

They gave her a look like she was mental.

"I think they are." Vicky said. "Its probably like an addition, they need to have their fix and will hang out in dark corners until they get it. How pathetic."

"Shut up you moronic bitch." Draco said.

"Oh, nice language." Hermione said. "Do you speak to your mum that way?"

He stepped closer to her, standing above her trying to intimidate her. He literally was pressed up against her, but she refused to back down. She actually felt his body against hers.

"Oh course not. My mother isn't pond scum like you. The Grippy weed sure took a shine to you didn't it, it knew its own kind."

Hermione wanted to hurt him.

"You're like a broken record. Really Malfoy, haven't you had a new thought in your head since first year." Hermione said. He was close enough that Hermione could smell alcohol on him. "You're just so ... dull."

Hermione watched as anger washed across his features. He moved lightning quick to grab her hair.

"Come on Draco." Blaise said. "Lets go."

"I dare you." Hermione said in a low steady tone as his grip pulled her whole head back a bit. "I would love to kick you out of this competition. Maybe even the school."

They stood there for a moment while Draco considered his options. She could feel his heavy breath on her skin. Blaise tugged at his arm to get him to back away.

"They're not worth it." Blaise said. "Just whores."

"Yeah Draco, walk away." Hermione goaded. Hermione wasn't sure what was driving her to egg him on, but she was.

"Now Draco." Blaise said with authority.

Draco finally let go of Hermione hair. Her scalp burned from the pressure he'd put on it. He still didn't step back, but eventually looked away and pushed her away.

Blaise was mumbling something about whores as they walked away.

"He's not right." Vicky said. "Maybe you should stay away from him. He seems to have it in for you."

"Like that is anything new." Hermione said with a snort. But she felt the adrenalin pumping through her. A feeling she recognised. It made her feel alive. Everything was alive. Brighter, sharper. She could still smell his cologne, she tried to shake it out of her nostrils. "He's just a bitter pureblood fart, sorry that he'll never be anything more."

"Even so, Hermione." Parvati said. "I think Vicky's right, there's something off with him. Maybe the war made him a bit loopy. It runs in his family you know. His grandfather was a bit eccentric, not to mention his mum's side of the family. Total nutters."

Hermione didn't need to be told of their lunacy, she had experienced it first hand. In his house no less.

"Come on." Parvati said with a shiver. "Lets get inside."

The next day was lovely. It was sunny and crisp. The sun shown off the new snow making the world seem bright. They had a lot to do today. They had pretty much decided which areas to designate to new houses, new fields and new roads. Some of the encroaching forest would have to be cleared for planting and livestock. Wizards were very traditional with their food. They liked it local. There was something appealing about it, compared to the Styrofoam wrapped food in muggle supermarkets.

She used to have to explain to Ron how she had no idea who made the snacks she brought with her on the train. Her mother certainly didn't have time to bake.

Parvati cooked breakfast, which consistent of eggs and toast. They planned out the day. They had tonnes of little details to figure out. Then tomorrow would be devoted to getting up the model, complete with water flowing, miniature people and animals walking around. It would take quite a lot of magic to get a model working, and it would take time to layer it right so it didn't fall apart.

They had parchment all over the walls to show the details of the little designs, but chunks of it was still missing. Parvati had taken the task of designing the new part of the village, Vicky was responsible for all the support structures, utilities, roads and movements. Hermione was left to sort out the food sources. What crops to be planted and the amounts. Enough to feed the new part of the village throughout the year. It actually took a great deal of planning. She'd never paid that much attention to food before.

This would have been the kind of interest that she would have found fascinating. She hated the fact that she didn't get excited about this kind of stuff anymore. There was just this blockage that sucked all the joy out, like a little dementor sitting in her chest. For a second she wondered if that was possible. Clearly, that was ridiculous, but this constant ... malaise was unbearable.

But she went through the motions. She knew what to do. In the afternoon, she would have to take some measures of the new field, the one that was currently part of the forest. She hoped like hell that none of the Centaurs would see her measuring up the forest for development purposes. But it was too close to the village for them, she reassured herself.

But when she heard a twig break, she retreated to the little stone formation that made for a perfect hiding place. It was strange that she always had a hiding place spotted, it was just second nature.

She could hear someone crunching around the snpw.

"Come on Granger." She heard Draco. "I saw you. And you're hiding from me."

Hermione didn't answer. Vicky's warning was echoing in her mind and she knew in her bones that there was danger in confronting Draco all alone in the forest. She wasn't sure what the danger was, but there certainly was something there.

"I just want to talk." Draco said. He sounded amused.

Hermione was itching to step out. She wanted to step out with her wand ready. She wanted a fight. But she was a good girl, intellect overrode whatever it was that wanted to wipe him out of existence.

"Such a little coward." He said, still walking around.

The goading words made her dig her fingers into the rock around her. She hated him so unbelievably much.

"Come out and play Granger." He said sweetly.

She stayed put. She knew intellectually that things would go sideways if she and he had a confrontation here. He might even goad her into doing something that would jeopardise her place in the tournament. He certainly would use it against her if he could. Maybe he was his reason for coming here. Well, he wasn't going to get the better of her. And right now, the smart thing to do was to stay put.

She stayed until she heard his footsteps retreat. Her heart was pumping in her throat, ready for a fight. Along with the feeling of being totally alive.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hermione didn't stay a second longer in the forest than she had to. She finished the work she had to do, she wasn't giving that up for nobody and nothing, but beyond that point of principle, she was pretty happy to return to Wiseacres expediently.

She didn't mention her little almost run in with Draco. But it had become clear that he was definitely looking for a fight. Looking for something. She felt the call of whatever it was too. She was still itching to have it out with him. The effin enemy who was walking around the place like nothing had happened. And now he was trying to have a go at her.

She tried to put it out of her mind. The best possible outcome would be that they totally and completely kick the Slytherins' arses in this contest. And they had a pretty good chance too. Their system was turning out quite nicely. They had all day tomorrow to build the model before the finish at 5. They would win and be back at Hogwarts for dinner.

She anticipated victory and the sweet satisfaction that came with it. The Ravenclaws could throw a spanner in the works. They were clever. God knew what kind of pureblood paradise the Slytherins were planning. She was pretty sure they couldn't be rational if they tried, well maybe Theo, but Slytherins never passed up the opportunity to promote their cause. Hermione felt pretty sure that the Slytherin village would have muggleborn servant quarters.

No, promoting causes would lose the competition, she was pretty sure and she had to exclude any ideas she had on elf and magical creature rights in their little model.

They did a recap of the information and decisions they still needed and another couple of hours work after dinner would pretty much set them right. They chose to stay in that night. The Hufflepuffs would have to hang out with the Ravenclaws only.

It took longer than expected to work out the last bit of detail. It was well past midnight when they finished. The Slytherins were still up. Hermione could see the lights down in the bar area as she got ready for bed. How lovely this world would be without Slytherins. Weren't they at the bottom of every problem in this world. They felt they were the core of this world, the founders and that this world couldn't exist without them. It would be so much better if they were just gone.

They had an early start in the morning. They had to find materials for the model. There was a lot in the Wiseacres shop that would serve as material, but it wasn't enough.

Everyone was out scavenging for materials in the morning. First of all, they needed for find a large board to have their model on. After an hour of scavenging, they had enough to start. They decided that Parvati would start building the existing buildings for the model.

Hermione had to find seeds because the model was going to have miniature crop plants that would be harvested within the model. Even grass to grow on the communal areas. When all the materials were in place, then they would start to build up the magic that would make it work, but they still needed some things.

Vicky needed to find glass, rocks and wood for the new buildings, which was her allotted job. They went into the forest again to gather the things they needed. The seeds were a bit of a mission to find as it was the dead of winter, but she found a gardeners outhouse that was useful.

They demolished a shop sign which had little tubes that would serve well as utility pipes. Gravel for the roads.

They found a chess set in Dervish and Banges that would provide people for the model. The little figurines protested in the crudest ways possible, but they would be spelled into obedience.

Then Zonko's last as Hermione remembered this toy horse with cart that made the most horrifically smelly farts. She would strip that particular magic, but the horse and card would do for the model to bring in the harvest.

"Ouch, that little chess piece bit me." Vicky said. "I'm going to kill it. You just wait you little cow. Oww, it did it again. Now the other one is stabbing me with its sword."

"Haven't you got a bag?" Hermione said.

"Its full of rocks." Vicky said. "I didn't want to put the chess pieces in there because they'd get crushed, but I've a mind to now."

"Why don't you drop them off?" Hermione said. "We're just about done anyway."

"I am so going to love binding these little cretins. You're going to be a productive citizen, do you hear." Vicky said with annoyance. "It bit me again. I want to smash it."

"Just drop them off, put them in the bread tin on the kitchen counter."

"Fine." Vicky said. "Don't be long."

"I am just getting the horse and cart."

"Well, get rid of the farting before you bring it back. Those things stink. Why do they even sell those? Seriously how immature can you get?"

"I'll see you back at Wiseacres." Hermione said and went into the shop. She wasn't sure where they were. It wasn't a shop she normally frequented. Not since third year when Harry and Ron would drag her in here. They were sadly still susceptible to its charm.

It took some searching to find it, but finally she found one trotting around a shelf. It tried to kick her as she went to grab it, then started with the farting. Hermione's eyes were tearing from the stench. She had to find some way of removing this particular feature. She placed the wriggling horse on a table. It ran around trying to find an escape, but there was nothing but sheer drop on four sides.

It took a few goes before she managed to strip it of its flatulence. Every failed attempt left a new wave of stink, but on the last one, it tried but nothing came out. It kept trying, she had to admire its persistence before it hung its little head down in defeat.

"Should have known you were in here, mudblood." She heard her least favourite voice. "The stench of your kind has never been quite so literal."

Hermione only smiled tightly because she just couldn't be bothered explaining.

"A little horse." Draco said with a sneer. "How quaint. I could use that for my model."

"This one is mine." Hermione said.

"I don't think so." Draco said. "As per usual, you will have to make due with the left overs."

"Don't touch my horse." Hermione said will full seriousness. She had tolerating it farting at her every opportunity it got, she was not going to let him take it.

"It doesn't have your name on it, mudblood." Draco said and pulled out his wand.

"What you're going to rob me of my horse?" Hermione said more out of astonishment at the ridiculousness of the situation. "You little bitch."

"What did you call me?" Draco said and turned fully towards her.

"I called you a little bitch." Hermione said. "That's what you are, aren't you? Like to take orders, don't you? Like to bend over and just take it." She wasn't sure where this was coming from, she wasn't normally this crude.

It seemed to astonish Draco as well, before she saw the more common rage work its way into his features. She knew it was time to duck and there wasn't a moment to spare because something nasty shot over her head and pulverised a knick knack on the wall behind her.

"What's the matter, girly?" She said as she popped her head up over the table top. "Hit a nerve?"

She ducked again, being missed by practically nothing. She had pretty good instincts about him, she conceded.

"You're going to get expelled if you keep throwing hexes at other students." She said from behind the table.

"Seriously girl, I am going to teach you your place." She heard him say in an eerily calm voice.

"And here was me thinking you've been trying for years, with success that can only be described as limited." She couldn't stop herself saying. She was full on goading him, well beyond the fairly well established boundary of goading topics. She was going all out.

She heard a noise and then felt his hand in her hair pulled her up from the side of the table. It really hurt, it wasn't pretend pulling, he was pulling with his strength.

"Oww, your hurting me." She yelled.

"I am going to do more than hurt you."

"Yeah, I dare you." She shot back.

"You're on." He said.

She grabbed his wrist to alleviate the pressure on her scalp. He had done this before, but in a split second she decided it was better to focus her attention on his wand hand. A hurting scalp was better than him with a free wand hand.

"Let go of my hand you little cunt." He hissed. But it was becoming clear to both of them that she couldn't really stop him. He was stronger and his wand was ascending. In desperation, she grabbed something and smashed him.

"You broke my wand!" He screamed and he back slapped her before she could right herself. He was on her in a micro second. "You little bitch!"

She tried to claw at his face and made a good scratch at his neck. She turned over to get away, but he had her by the hair again. Why the hair all the time? But somehow she got her legs beneath her and pushed up with him on top of her, angling him into the shelf on the wall, which came down with a huge crash.

But he was up before she was. His reflexes really were lightning fast.

"I've been taught to never hit women, but you don't count." He said and pushed her to the other wall, having hold of her by the collar. She got a good punch landed in his gut and she could hear that she winded him. She was immensely proud of that punch. It was better than any other she'd ever managed. But he recovered disturbingly quickly and had her by the throat, slamming her into the wall.

"That's the last time, mudblood." He said. He was pressing hard on her throat and she was choking. She managed to punch him again on the side of the face, but it had no strength.

Hermione was having trouble breathing, his grip on her neck was tightening.

"You're going to regret this more than being born." He said and put on more pressure. He had to lean back to get strength in his grip, giving Hermione enough room to get her knee hard into where it hurt most.

He went down instantly, wheezing. And then oddly quiet like someone who was in too much pain to scream.

"Well, that should fix us having to be burdened by any of your spawn." Hermione croaked. "Probably my biggest achievement."

She stumbled out of the shop, but not before grabbing the little horse that was huddling on the furthers corner of the table. She didn't care if it bit her, she probably wouldn't feel it right now. She hurt all over, her throat, her back, the back of her head and her right knee.

She marched back to Wiseacres swearing she would make mince meat of anyone who got in her way.

"You alright?" Parvati said as she stormed in the door.

"I'm fine." Hermione said with emphasis.

"You sure?" Parvati said, suspicious.

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Have the Slytherins been giving you grief again?"

"They try, but as with most things they fail spectacularly." Hermione said. It wasn't quite true, but she wasn't the one on the floor crying right now. She wasn't going to go into details. If this came out it would be her fault just as much as it was his. He would make sure of that. Else his god-awful father would.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hermione worked non-stop that afternoon. She didn't stop for anything and she wouldn't let the others either. Her entire mind was focused on the little model in front of her. It was easier to keep her mind focused on that. She didn't want to think about what happened that morning in Zonko's. Merlin she hated that shop.

It wasn't as if she was terribly distressed. Surprisingly, she wasn't particularly distressed at all, which was probably more concerning than anything. It was just the ugly implications of everything that happened. The ugly crack in the nice facade that everything was honky dory.

She just couldn't really understand where he was coming from. Sure she wanted to smash his face in, but with good reason. He outright attacked her, and had been hinting in that direction a couple of times now, but she'd still hadn't thought he'd had the guts to go through with in. She wasn't entirely sure, but she might just think better of him for it. Which was completely contradictory to how she was supposed to be feeling.

And there she went, analysing like she told herself she wouldn't do. She wondered what he was doing, whether he was analysing it as well. Did he have a clear understanding of what just happened? Was there some space in the loopy Malfoy world where that made sense?

The girls knew there was something off with her and they kept out of the way. They just did their work. It was nice to be absorbed into something and have it hold her interest. Almost hold her interest, she was forcing herself to stay connected to it.

And then it was time. Challenge over and they had to go present their models for judgement. Parvati and Vicky levitated the model into the centre of the Hogsmead road where they seemed to meet at the end of challenges.

"Welcome." McGonagall smiled as the contestants showed up. There were three people with her, all Hogsmead inhabitants. The Hufflepuffs were chattering, while the Ravenclaws were straightening something on their model. The Slytherin were there with their model.

"Perhaps we should move the judgement inside." She continued while looking at the Slytherins who were remarkably undressed. Well, Draco was standing in the cold with only his white cotton undershirt covering his top half. It was tucked into the smart, expensive pants held in place with a black leather belt. She could see the Malfoy crest on the neat silver buckle. She had never seen his belt before, or the obviously custom made buckle. She rolled her eyes.

"The Three Broomsticks will do. Give the judges some time to review the models in the comfort and away from this cold." Mc Gonagall said and motioned for them to move.

After some shuffling everyone carried their models into the bar area of the Three Broomsticks. Surely Professor McGonagall knew this was enemy territory. They Slytherins looked like they were about to object at the intrusion in to their space.

"I am sure you are well familiar with the bar area." McGonagall spoke to them, "you can manage to produce some Butterbeer for everyone." They looked less than happy about having to serve everyone, but they didn't argue.

Draco did not look at her at all. He was acting like she wasn't there. She was itching to punch him, maybe for just ignoring her. Acting like nothing had happened. Or that she wasn't worth acknowledging. Theo gave her and the girls each a flagon of Butterbeer and the room quieted as the judges perused the models.

The Ravenclaw model was astonishing. They had tore down the old village and build a whole new one, which was very structured. But the judges weren't all that impressed with the model even though it was a really well designed space. Considering that the local Hogsmeade people would be judging, it might have been an error to tear their houses down.

The Slytherin's had done the same, but replaced it with more stately houses circling a central area which were made for community events. But it was clear that most of the house were for wealthier families, with the odd cottage at the edge of the village for the odd person not of their ilk. She had been right, it had been the pureblood ideal town. Catered to their every need, and although it brought some oohs and aahs from the judges, they could not get past the idea of losing their homes.

The Hufflepuff model wasn't finished. They had built onto the existing village, but hadn't finished. The judges made some encouraging sounds and said it was such as shame that they had run out of time.

The judges spent a lot of time on their model. They were whispering amongst themselves, evaluating each proposal. Hermione already knew they were the winners. It clearly ticked all the boxes they seemed to care about.

They shuffled about and mumbled a bit more, while the teams all stood around the bar area watching. Draco was behind the bar leaning against the back wall. He was still ignoring her. Actually ignoring everyone. He looked like he couldn't have cared less.

"I think we have decided on a winner." Mr. Harrismusen said with a large smile. "We have decided to award the point to... Gryffindor!"

All three of them jumped and clapped. It wasn't a surprise, but Hermione was pleased to know she guessed the result right. She noticed that Draco closed his eyes with disgust.

"Congratulations to Gryffindor, a good effort." Professor McGonagall said. "Now pack up and return to the castle. It is almost dinner time. Don't forget to bring the models. They will be displayed in the Great Hall." She said and left with the judges.

The Ravenclaws were clearly miffed that they had missed out, and rightly so, but they didn't take into account the judges prejudices. The Hufflepuffs were just happy.

"Congratulations." Theo said. "Its a good effort."

"Thanks." Hermione said and turned to the model to levitate it. "Oh and..." And she gave Draco the finger.

Draco was fuming. As per usual really, Hermione thought. Didn't this make him a loser...how many times over now? She didn't say it, but it was there in her expression. He narrowed his eyes at her and turned away. She watched his retreating back for a moment as he walked away. Seeing him now in a tight undershirt, it was a miracle she made out in the fight with him as well as she had. He was so much bigger than her, and he had muscles. God knows where he got them from, maybe running from the law had meant he actually had to lift a finger to fend for himself.

She realised that she had little idea what Draco had been up to for the last year and a half, other than the time he was thrown in Azkaban.

"Well that was eloquent, Granger." Theo said pulling her out of her reverie.

"Inside joke."

"Clearly." He said. "I guess it would be too much to ask that you two would bury the hatchet."

"Clearly."

"You know, just because you can be a bitch doesn't mean you have to exercise that particular skill at every opportunity." He said.

"I don't Theo, I am very selective at who I shower with my attention."

"Well, I wish you would just leave him alone."

"He started it."

"Oh, spectacularly mature, Granger."

"Just piss off Nott." Hermione said. "I've had a bad day."

"Maybe you should take your moods out on Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee." Theo said referring to Harry and Ron. He watched her for a second. "Do you know how Draco broke his wand?"

Hermione shrugged like she couldn't care less before leaving. She certainly didn't want to talk to Theo about anything that had happened. She respected his ability to lead, but they weren't friends and she would never make the mistake of thinking they were.

She stuck close to Parvati and Vicky all the way back to the castle. It just wasn't worth tempting fate wandering off alone right now, considering she had beat him yet again. She just couldn't help feeling pride.

The whole Gryffindor house was proud when they got to the Great Hall, but she didn't really care about that. She hated it, but this competition was about two people as far as she was concerned and one of them was sulking on the other side of the hall. She watched him eat. He wasn't talking to anyone, just watching his food as he steadily ate. She wondered what he was thinking about. Wondered if he felt like dirt.

She could see the scratch on his neck, the one she'd made. It looked raw and painful, but he wasn't paying attention to it. A few years back and he would have been in the hospital wing lamenting his heart out. He certainly was different now, hiding his thoughts and feelings from everyone. Nearly always. He seemed more than willing to share how he felt with her.

The Gryffindors celebrated into the night. Ron got drunk and was carted off to bed with someone. Harry was having a great time with his new girlfriend, a fifth year, which was a little bit on the uncomfortable side of old enough as far as Hermione was concerned.

She sat with a drink on the couch later that night. She didn't feel like sleeping tonight, which was unusual, she had energy. Not full on party energy like Ron and Harry, but enough not to retreat to her bed at the first opportunity.

"You alright, Mione?" Harry said at the end of the evening. He slapped her on the knee as he did sometimes in his brotherly way.

"I'm alright." She said. She actually felt alright. "There was this thing though."

"What thing?" Harry said watching her.

"I had a fight with Malfoy." She said.

"You're always fighting with Malfoy." Harry said.

"No, a real fight."

"What do you mean?"

"Like a drag down punch up."

"Are you serious?" Harry said with intensity. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

"I think I hurt him more than he hurt me. I think I broke one of his ribs."

"What the fuck is he thinking?" Harry said disbelievingly trying to control his anger. "You should have him expelled."

"I did goad him." Hermione said.

"That doesn't mean you attack someone. Particularly a girl." Harry blustered. "That's...completely not on. Fucking coward."

"He will find some way of blaming me for it." Hermione said.

"McGonagall would believe you over him any day."

"McGonagall is running ragged trying to make sure the world is back to normal, she would lose it completely." Hermione said. After a moment of reflection, she continued, "She can't expel him, can you imagine the politics if she tried to expel him. They would all make out like he was being targeted, particularly if it was me or you that accused him. Shacklebolt is having enough trouble trying to sooth the purebloods' ruffled feathers. Everyone is terrified of anything that would cause a stir. I swear it would be easier for them just to get rid of me."

Harry listed to her speech, and she knew that he knew, that there was merit in what she was saying. They had purposefully sidelined the war heros out of the public eye, out of the press in an attempt to keep peace. Everyone was terrified and jumping at shadows.

"He's not getting away with this." Harry said.

"Well, if there was a winner in that fight, it certainly wasn't him." Hermione said. "I really can hold my own, you know. Especially against a prick like him. Besides, that's got to hurt, being in a fight with a girl and not walking away the winner."

Harry couldn't help but laugh, but the serious look returned to his face pretty soon. Hermione wasn't sure she should have told him, she just wanted it to be back the way it used to when they shared their problems. She just needed to connect with him again because the only person she really had any connection with through this fog that had settled around her at the moment was Draco Malfoy.

She also needed Harry to watch her back if things went sideways again. Draco was so much stronger and faster than her, maybe she made out ok in their fight out of sheer dumb luck.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Did you hear?" Someone said to her as she walked into the library the next day. "Harry attacked Malfoy?"

"What?" Hermione said as she'd only been half listening.

"Down outside of the Herbology house, this morning. They blew out nearly every window. It was awesome." The kid said. He was two years younger in Gryffindor, but Hermione barely knew his name. "Put Malfoy in the hospital wing. Potter's got detection for the rest of his natural life. Lucky he wasn't expelled. Heard he hit you. Is that true?"

A knot of pure dread twisted her gut as she began running. She didn't know where to go, but eventually settled on the Gryffindor common room. If Harry was anywhere he'd be there. Maybe.

He was, sitting on the couch rubbing the side of his head. He definitely looked like he'd been in a fight, there were scorch marks on his robes.

"What have you done, Harry?" She demanded and waved anyone in the room out.

"I had a bone to pick." Harry said looking at her.

"It didn't mean you should go attack him at the next opportunity you get." Hermione said pointedly.

"He can't do what he did."

"It didn't mean you had to get involved." Hermione said. "You're in big trouble. You shouldn't have done it."

"He can't go around and do whatever he wants." Harry yelled.

"I don't need you to go fight my battles for me." Hermione yelled back. "It was my problem, I am perfectly capable of dealing with it. They could have expelled you."

"So what?" He said.

"You need your NEWTs Harry." Hermione yelled. "Or you'll never be an auror. And maybe rightly so if you can't control yourself. It was stupid."

"What did you expect me to do? Just stand around and let him do whatever he pleases." Harry yelled.

"Yeah, that is what I expected. " Hermione said. "I expected you to leave me to deal with my problems."

"Really so you can uhm and ah about it and then do nothing. Come on Mione, what were you expecting when you told me. You knew I would have him on about it."

"No Harry, this is not what I wanted." She said sharply. "What I wanted was some support. Maybe a bit of understanding, but obviously that was too much to ask. I shouldn't have told you. My mistake." She marched out of the common room, slamming the portrait who was protesting abuse.

Hermione walked at a brisk pace without any particular direction, but she seemed to end up down by the quidditch field which was completely deserted. She really wanted to be alone and there wasn't a soul in site.

She hated what Harry had done, not that Draco didn't deserve it, but it wasn't Harry place to go and seek revenge on her behalf. All she had wanted was someone to share with and now he had gone and made the situation ten times worse. The whole school knew by now that something had happened. And what made it worse was that he hadn't even considered what she wanted. Harry's actions were about him and some need for justice on his behalf. And worst was the fact that she really didn't have anyone she could talk to.

Draco was in the hospital wing until the next day. Hermione saw him at lunch time. He had a split lip as far as she could see. Her scratch was still on his neck too. He certainly was having a bad week and now the school all knew he'd hit a girl. Technically he had slapped her, but Harry was not too finicky with such details when he was out for blood.

She almost felt a bit sorry for him, but certainly not enough to apologize to him for anything that had happened. He was guilty in most respects. And maybe being known for hitting a girl was better than walking of worse off in a fight with a girl. She wondered if he was in pain. She was pretty sure she'd broken his rib, probably some bruises on his back where she shoved him into the shelf. She didn't know but maybe if you hit a guy as hard in the privates as she had hit him, maybe its uncomfortable for a while.

But he just ate his food and ignored the world around him. At least he wasn't getting the cloying looks of concern and the entirely stomach churning queries about how she was. It was all Harry's fault. And he certainly was still cranky about her having a go at him. Apparently she should have been appreciative that he would risk his academic future to defend her honour. Maybe if she just closed her eyes for a bit it would all go away. She was dying for a nice warm bath again to attempt to wash away the fact that she was feeling like total shit.

But peoples concern soon turned to annoyance because she wasn't talking and people felt entitled to know what happened. She started getting looks from people that said she wasn't playing her part.

Well, she didn't care, she firmly decided. Was she supposed to be crying for everyone to see like some kind of spectacle for them all to gossip about?

She went to class, but she couldn't really pay attention. She felt ill at ease. Ron was trying to get her to tell him what had been going on, but she just said there was nothing to talk about. She certainly didn't need Ron to charge Malfoy as well. And he had always been dying for an opportunity to.

She snuck away and had a long bath after dinner, and stayed there until it could reasonably be called bedtime. At least in her dreams there might get a chance to escape.

The next day was exactly like the last. Her schedule ruled her life. She wasn't talking to Harry and had managed to annoy Ginny enough with her silence to make her leave. She shared Care of Magical Creatures with both Harry and Ron. Luckily no Malfoy, a subject he believed to be beneath him and he had a good point as he would never likely need to care for anyone or anything, even himself. He'd have people for that, correction, slave elves.

It was nice to be outdoors, even if it was freezing cold. Hermione was helping Marpout worms shed their skin with some tweezers. It was all round disgusting, but Hermione didn't mind. She actually liked the idea that she was giving the little thing some relief by helping it out of its itchy skin.

She took her time at the end of class. She really didn't want to go back to the castle. In fact, she wanted to just start walking, it would be so easy, just start in the opposite direction, no one would notice and it would be done with. But she wouldn't. She knew there was something wrong with her and she was not prepared to throw away her whole future because she was feeling a little annoyed with her surroundings. Giving up was not in her nature.

But she could stay out here for a few minutes alone for a little breather. She didn't have to hurry back, she had a good hour before the next class. Harry and Ron were off to Divinations. And Malfoy was there to. She knew his schedule. She wasn't sure how she'd managed, but somehow her mind had collected enough information to know what classes he was in each day. And right now, he was safely stowed away practicing the pointless art of Divinations.

After taking some time, she had to return to the castle. She wandered across the covered bridge towards the courtyard. The courtyard was empty and snow covered.

She hesitated mid stride as she saw Malfoy leaning against the wall. He smiled when he saw her obvious hesitation.

"Hello, Mudblood."

"Malfoy." Hermione said with exasperation, well she tried for exasperation, she might not have done a good job hiding the tension and dread she felt. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I didn't feel like going." He said and stepped away from the wall. He was dressed in his customary black robes, polished shoes. He looked well put together as usual. "In fact, I thought I would come see how you are."

"You're not allowed to talk to me. You will be thrown out of the competition." Hermione said wanting to step back as he approached, but refused to out of sheer pride.

"And you are one to tell everyone, aren't you?" He said. He was standing right in front of her, legs fairly wide apart. It was an aggressive stance, but his hands were in his pockets.

"It was.." She started, but not feeling why she should be defending herself to him. "What happened was not my intention."

"Sure it was Granger." He said leaning a bit closer. "You fully intended to sic your little lap dog on me."

She was not going to get into this with him.

"And now you've embarrassed me in front of the whole school."

"Really, perhaps you should consider that you embarrassed yourself." She said sharply.

His hand shot out of his pockets and grabbed her jaw. He forced her to step back until they hit the wall. He sure liked intimidating her. She expected some violence, but he just stood there looking down at her.

"I am going to take everything that means anything from you." He said. His voice was a little uneven with emotion. "Starting with this tournament you are so clearly invested in."

Hermione only stared back at him, urging him to see that she wasn't scared of him, or his imposing physique. Because he was so much bigger than her and it surprised her yet again.

"Let go of me." She said through gritted teeth as he held onto her jaw. Not brutally rough, but just enough to immobilise her. And then the devil in her psyche arose again. "Well, you could always try. Haven't you been trying for what, years now?"

She heard steps coming. He did too and he turned towards the direction of them for a second. He still had her pinned against the wall.

"Won't look good you being caught assaulting me." She said feeling the edge of victory moving her way. "Only reaffirm what everyone knows, that you're a total nutcase."

He stared at her for a second and the footsteps were coming closer. He should be well away from her by now, why wasn't he. Had he no sense of self preservation?

And then he moved with those lightning fast reflexes. Hermione's reflexes anticipated pain but what she got was something else. A bruising kiss. He held her so close, she couldn't move and her shock didn't give her much leeway to react in his tight embrace. His tongue was in her mouth and her protest came out sounding like a moan.

Then he was gone. Hermione was too shocked to comprehend what had just happened. He was staring down the hall and when Hermione looked she could see Megan Jones and Hannah Abbott staring at them. It took her a few seconds to realise what had just happened. It looked like they'd been snogging. He had made it look like they were kissing. Hermione could only roll her eyes with vexation, because nothing she said at this point would change the fact that they had been 'caught'.

The girls were just as shocked as she probably looked, but broke out into giggles as Malfoy walked past them. They turned around to watch him as he passed.

Hermione knew that the news of their 'little indiscretion' would be all over the school in two minutes flat. She tried to wipe the taste of him off her lips that were burning from the bruising kiss. Bastard.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Hermione was right, their little snog session was all over the school in record time. She could hear people whispering as she walked past.

The Gryffindors heard as well in due time, but no one confronted her about it. They just took the news and made their own assumptions. Harry was still ignoring her, she knew that he'd heard, but he just nodded and walked past her when she saw him. He just accepted what he heard and didn't give her a chance to explain. She thought he would have confronted her about it and then she could explain what Draco had done, but he didn't seem interested in hearing her side of it and just assumed what he heard was correct. Assumed that she would be with Draco Malfoy. Which meant he probably thought that she had used him in some capacity when she told him Malfoy had attacked her.

It really hurt that her friends would assume the worst of her so easily. Ron and Ginny took their cue from Harry. Hermione was pretty much a persona non grata at the moment. And she was too prideful to go plead to them to listen to her. If they were prepared to assume the worst, then she wasn't going to dignify their silence with pleading. Friends confront each other if something like this comes up. Hence she had to start questioning the basis of their friendship.

It was ironic really because it was exactly the same way people had made assumptions about Harry when Voldemort was attacking his reputation, but when it happened to someone else he was just as susceptible.

And things just went on this way. Harry refused to talk about it and Hermione refused to talk unless someone asked her, which no one did. Draco was doing better. His housemates were very accepting of the news, it seemed that hitting a girl was dastardly, but hitting a paramour, well that was just discipline. She hated all of them more than she thought possible.

However disappointed she was with her friends, it was his fault and she could quite justifiably focus all her hate on him. She stared at him across the Great Hall and sometimes he would smirk back at her. She couldn't believe she'd had those lips against hers. It was the most absurd idea. He had held her so tight, obviously to stop her from struggling, but it was still the most bizarre thing. He'd had his tongue in her mouth. She had barely done that with Ron.

She had snogged Ron but things fizzled between them during the war. It took a little bit of time to realise it, but in the end she just didn't want to be near him anymore. They had never gone any further than light kissing, and she hadn't with anyone else after. It just hadn't really been on her mind after Ron. When there was so much at stake, she felt she couldn't afford stupid distractions, and after the war, she still felt like she couldn't tolerate stupid distractions.

She knew Draco was experienced. Even before the war started, he had no trouble getting female attention. Some girls had been more reserved around him after the war when it was known that he actually was a DeathEater, others for some unfathomable reason seemed more forthright. She wasn't sure if Draco was throwing himself into celebrating the way Harry and Ron had been this year. Neither of them was inexperienced anymore. The girls were on offer really.

It had been close to a year since she kissed Ron, maybe even a bit longer. Being kissed by Malfoy just highlighted that. And she'd never been kissed like that, full embrace, deep forceful kiss. It was a completely fake kiss, but it had still been a kiss. She could still feel it on her skin. She scrunched her eyes in vexation as the feeling just refused to leave.

She felt lonelier than ever. Before it had been her pushing everyone away, but now it seemed like it was both ways. She slept pretty much any spare time she had. She spent most of the weekends in bed or in the bath. She went to class and sat there for an hour or two as her schedule dictated. She tried really hard to pay attention and to take notes, but her heart just wasn't in it. And truthfully, she knew most of it anyway.

He would always been there. They shared so many classes, and always known, but she was more aware of that fact now than she'd ever been before. She only had Care of Magical Creatures without him, which would have been a relief if it wasn't for the fact that Harry and Ron were there making her feel completely isolated.

And he was there watching her every time she turned around, his mercurial eyes would be there. Sometime aggressive, sometimes not. Never friendly. But he saw her when no one else seemed to. His attention was wearing on her. It was a constant and she almost physically felt its absence when he wasn't there, but not for long because he was definitely in her head. In her dreams, chasing her. Her dreams weren't always scary, sometimes they were exciting. He never caught her.

Sometimes she would go to the bathroom on the second floor where Moaning Myrtle was, but it wasn't the refuge it used to be. Older girls liked the bathroom because the younger students wouldn't go there. But it was a good refuge from boys.

"Hello, sweetheart." She heard him from just inside the door. Her mood sunk into darkness from the grey it had been.

"I'm sweetheart now, am I?" She said looking at him through the mirror. She had her hand in her pocket on her wand in case he did something, but so far he moved slowly and deliberately. "Coming up in the world, am I?"

"Not really, nothing could do that." He said sweetly. "You are what you are and we are all burdened with your presence."

"You really don't have to burdened with it right now." She said with false cheerfulness. "You could just leave."

"But then we don't get to have our little chat and I have so been dying to know how you are." He said and stepped closer to her. She could see him in the mirror behind her. "It seems your friends have all deserted you. Poor little duckling." He touched her hair.

"Don't touch me."

"Completely understandable, I wouldn't want anyone to touch me either if I had hair like that." He said. "You know, sometimes the Slytherin girls threaten to hex each other with hair like yours."

"Good to know. If that is all?" She said.

"Actually, I came to talk about the tournament." He said and stood right behind her, checking his hair in the mirror. "I think you should withdraw."

"Really, and why would I do that?"

"So we didn't have to go through the unpleasantness of me having to beat you."

"Getting worried you might not be able to?"

"Oh I will be able to, I will use every means possible." He said. "I am do have a arsenal of means."

Hermione laughed. "I think you seriously over-estimate your abilities."

He looked at her now, she could see him in the mirror looking at her. "I guess we will see." He said and looked at her in the mirror. She could feel his presence behind her through every cell. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

It wasn't an entirely menacing look, but he did look very intent on what he was saying. She couldn't help but get goosebumps.

"I don't take to threats." She said.

He was smirking now, looking down his nose at her through the mirror. "Always one of your faults, not knowing when to quit."

He stepped back a step or two and the stopped.

"Oh no, it looks like someone is coming." He said with an exaggerated gasp. Hermione snapped her head to see the bathroom door opening. He took her distraction and grabbed her, lifting her around and up on the sink. Her hand was stuck in her pocket with her wand and he was too close to get her knees up and her struggling kind of ended up with him in between her legs.

"No!" Was all she could say, but speaking had been a tactical mistake as it allowed him access to her mouth. His tongue was in her mouth before she could say anything else. He held her tightly to him as his body leaned in over hers. His hand in her hair kept her head locked to his kiss. She struggled to get him away, but he was too close. She only had one hand to push with and could only reach his hip.

He groaned ridiculously loudly and then stepped back. He smiled at her as he pretended to zip up.

"Oops." He said to the girl standing in complete shock. Some fifth former from Ravenclaw. "So hard to find privacy, you understand." Then he leaned back to her and she tried to shove him away, but he was too strong. "And there goes your reputation. Pity." He whispered in her ear and kissed her on the cheek. Then leisurely walked out of the bathroom smirking.

Hermione slid down from the sink and straightened her skirt. She tried to figure something out to say, that they weren't just having sex in the bathroom, but what was she supposed to say, 'It wasn't what it looked like, she was still wearing underwear'? Nothing she said would change what it looked like. Bastard, he had done it again. And again she was stuck trying to wipe the taste of him off her lips. And this time she had the feel of him too, in the most intimate possible way, burned into her skin. There were just limited to how intimately you should know your enemy's body.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Hermione was infinitely more interesting to the Hogwarts male population now that he'd had 'sex' with Draco Malfoy. They were always watching her. Sometimes she liked to think that she'd actually had sex with Malfoy and it was so bad she actually forgot it. That and other bloody daydreams where she murdered him. They were her mainstay these days, because there was nothing else going on in her life. She was the Gryffindor outcast and her grades were slipping something shocking.

She just couldn't really bring herself to care, and the hurt of her friends deserting her was turning into non caring as well. Her intense dislike for Draco Malfoy was the only thing keeping her going. She was going to kick his pasty behind in this upcoming challenge. She could feel anticipation building in her belly. And it was building up all week.

His attention was still there, he would intimidate her in class, tower over her, making her squeeze past him if he caught her in a tight space. She was his conquest now, so no one batted an eyelid. Some apparently were under the impression that she was his girlfriend and the thought made her gag.

There had been news that there was to be a mini quidditch cup and the end of the tournament, which was met with great cheer. Apparently some students had been complaining that the usual quidditch tournament was cancelled this year. Staff had been too afraid of encouraging rivalries, so they cancelled it this year, but the players were missing it, so a mini cup was planned.

Harry, Ginny and Ron were ecstatic. The news didn't seem to make great impact on Draco, Hermione watched him as the news was broken one night at dinner. She never stayed long for dinner, just long enough to eat her food, which she had down to about 4.5 minutes these days. Draco took his time, eating steadily. Somehow they ended up sitting opposite each other on the other side of the hall. She had a good view of him and he of her.

Hermione noted that he wasn't that interested in the quidditch news, which was unexpected. He would obviously be in the cup as he was the Slytherin seeker.

Hermione could feel anticipation building as it came closer to the next tournament weekend. It was a literal feast of feelings compared to the nothing she was feeling otherwise. She felt Draco's attention more intently. Like in Potions class, when they all had to stand around and watch a potion being brewed, he stood behind her, out of her line of sight. She had people on each side of her so she couldn't move. She felt intense uncomfortable with him standing behind her, not able to keep an eye on him. But there was nothing she could do but to bare it.

"Tomorrow, Granger." He spoke softly in her ear making her jump with surprise. "Time to play."

She could barely sleep. She wondered what he'd try, not really dreading it. She fantasised about hurting him. She knew he would try something and she was ready for it.

Hermione was up with the sun the next day, breakfast couldn't come fast enough. If nothing else came of today it was nice to actually look forward to a day for a change. She would literally do anything to feel like this and if it took a war with Malfoy to have it, then so be it. He was going down.

He was already at breakfast when she got there, so took her seat opposite him and tried to eat. They were having a staring contest. He was in a good mood. He was excited, she could tell. He had plans.

She stashed some food away in her deceptive bag and waited until it was time to leave.

She, Vicky and Parvati walked out when it was time and everyone cheered their respective house teams.

"I am actually quite sick of these." Vicky said. "We have to work like dogs for three days while everyone else is having fun back at the castle."

Hermione knew that Vicky's new contempt for the tournament was related to the new boyfriend she had and who Vicky didn't want to leave alone because there was this other girl who was interested in him.

"Seriously though, don't you think Michael Corner is kind of cute." Parvati said. "Theo isn't bad, but I got burned by a Slytherin before, I am not going there again. No offense." She said to Hermione.

"I couldn't be less offended if I tried." Hermione said.

"You're not going to be staying with him, are you?" Vicky said.

"Who?"

"Malfoy."

"I'm not seeing him." She said with exasperation. "Never have. Whatever you heard was just rumours. So no, I will not be staying with him." It was the most ridiculous thing she heard, her sleeping with him in a bed upstairs in the Three Broomsticks. In one of those rooms with nothing but a four poster bed with the crisp white sheets. Warmly tucked in with him next to her, ... It was so ridiculous she had to snort.

The contestants were standing in a semi circle, Slytherins on the far side. He was watching her. Watching her as she was having thoughts about being in bed with him. She burned red and thanked whatever powers there be that people could not read each others' thoughts.

Besides, if they were alone in a room he would probably be strangling her. And she would probably sneak her hand under his shirt to find some chest hair she could rip out. He probably didn't have any. Was probably completely smooth.

And then it was time to go. They set off but they weren't in a hurry. The Slytherins were however and that made Hermione anxious. It didn't seem to bother the other girls and she was not about to run off on her own.

There wasn't a sight of them when they got to Wiseacres. Nothing seemed to be remiss. Hermione set up the tent and the wards, while they waited for the challenge.

It came with an owl about half an hour later. They were to build a medicinal potion kit for the village.

"We only have three days, that rules out all the potions that take longer than three days." Parvati said. "And there is no herbology or potions shop here, we have to do everything from scratch."

"We have to gather in the forest."

Hermione got a flash from the last time she was in the forest, when Draco tried to seek her out and she hid. She wouldn't be hiding this time.

"We have to make a list." Hermione said. "List of the potions that take longer, so we make as good use of the time we have. So we get the ingredients in order of when they are needed."

"Lets start with the list of potions we can make, then ordering them in terms of the time to brew and then list the ingredients required." Parvati said.

They took the next hour working on the list. It had fifty things on it.

"Lets make sure we have remedies for each major type of ailment if we can." Hermione said. "It will make for a more rounded kit. I think they will judge on that."

They still had lots of work to do, but she had managed to settle on a set of potions that took the longest. One of them, they'd never find ingredients for so they crossed that one out. That left them with ten ingredients that they needed to find as soon as possible.

"We have to go into the forest to set some of these." Vicky said. "Hermione you have spent much more time in the forest than any of us. I think you should do that. I will try to hunt down some of these animal ingredients. I'm going to have to kill a frog."

Hermione agreed. She knew there was a chance that she would run into Draco, but she was going to win this competition or die trying, and if that meant running battles with Malfoy for the next three days, then that was just part of it.

So she headed out towards the forest. Vicky went down to the lake to murder a frog and Parvati stayed and worked on the potions and ingredients lists.

It didn't take long before a hex hit a tree beside her.

"That was pretty shoddy Malfoy, attacking without a warning. I thought you were raised better than that."

"That was the warning, Granger." She couldn't see him, and from the sounds of it, he was quite far away. "You should go back inside where its safe. The forest has all sorts of nasty things that can get you."

"Ok, thanks for the advice, I'm going back now." She said and walked deeper into the forest. She found some of her ingredients fairly quickly. Some she knew were not hard to find, you just had to find the right conditions, but the one she was particularly watching for was a Rennberry bush. It was rare, but it was an ingredient in two important potions.

She listened intensely for Draco but couldn't hear anything. Her wand was at the ready. After some more searching, another hex came her way, but she managed to block it.

"I could hear you coming, you're like a herd of elephants." She shouted.

"I wasn't trying to hide." He said, he was close, she couldn't see him, but he was close.

"So what, you want to duel?" She asked. She shot a hex at the tree she suspected he was behind.

"Duel, hardly, teach you a lesson perhaps." He said as he stepped out and shot a hex at her. She ducked and laughed.

"I'm pretty sure you can do better than that." She said.

"I can." He said and shot something nastier, she had to jump out of the way. His accuracy was pretty spot on. She could feel her pulse beating hard, her lungs stretching to take in more air. Her senses were peaked, but she wasn't truly afraid. Not revolting snatchers trying to catch you afraid. She wondered as she ducked from another hex if she believed he would truly hurt her.

She shot another hex and started running. He chased her and she shot hexes back at him fairly indiscriminately. She heard one hit him and heard him fall.

"Oops." She said and kept going. She'd hit him with a stinging hex, it would hurt, but it wouldn't kill him. She was deep in the forest when she stopped. Conditions were perfect for a Rennberry bush. She wandered around for ages looking for one, she was actually worried she might stumble onto some Centaurs. That would make for a tense day.

She found some Bilberry bushes which were good. The fruit as well as the roots were useful. She had one hour to get the Rennberry bush or else she would have to give up or they wouldn't have time to brew it anyway. She sat down and had a sandwich as her stomach was growling. It was nice to be in the forest. Nice to be somewhere where no one was judging her. Well, there might be one wandering around somewhere, but she was pretty sure she was well shot of him.

She started wandering again and came to the perfect little clearing. And then she was rewarded, she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but a small little bush was growing on the edge of the clearing. She couldn't believe her luck. It was a long shot seeking it out, but it had paid off.

She jogged up to it, but a flash of movement caught her eye. He was too fast for her to get her wand up and the hex out of her mouth before he tackled her. He knocked the wind out of her for a second and they rolled. Her wand got knocked out of her and. She pushed him off and flipped over to retrieve her wand, but his hand was on her belt pulling her back.

"I don't think so." He said. "Thought you got away."

"Get off me!" She yelled and tried to hit him. He batted her hands away and she got her foot into his belly and pushed with all her might. But he resisted using his strength, grabbing her ankle and wrenching it out of his stomach.

She tried to hit his around the head but he caught her wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Your such a nasty little thing, full of claws." He said. "I haven't forgotten how you scratched me!"

He had his whole weight on her now, pinning her down and as much as she tried to struggle, she couldn't budge him. They were face to face now, his hands holding her wrists over her head. She tried to buck him off, but he was too heavy. She had run out of options. He had her pinned, but equally he couldn't move either.

She could feel his breath on her face and her struggle had embarrassingly gotten her legs wrapped around him.

"Now Granger, why don't you just calm down." He said teasingly. "See you just haven't got it in you."

"Got what in me?" She said trying to struggle again, but he went dead weight on her and she could hardly breath.

"The ability to..." He started, but something shifted in his head. She could see it in his eyes, he just stared at her. He was so close and there was something going on behind those grey eyes. And then he got off her like she'd burnt him.

He stood, half pointing his wand at her, licked his lips and stared down at her as she started to sit up.

"Rennberry bush." He said. "Clever Granger. I think I will have some of that. Oops, I torn up the plant root and all, what a shame. There is none left for you."

"Bastard." She said and scrambled over to her wand.

"You know you can't take me." He said.

She threw a hex and he blocked it expertly. As well as Snape did. They had spent time together on the run and Hermione knew in her gut that Snape had thought him everything he knew about duelling. Maybe Draco had the right to be confident in his fighting skills.

He shot at her with something that she blocked fairly efficiently but backed it up with an expelliarmus which shot her wand off behind her somewhere.

I stared at her for another could of seconds. His face was shaded so she couldn't really see what was going on with him, but he never tensed his arm in preparation of a hex.

"Better get back, I have some brewing to do."

She watched him walk off with her Rennberry push as she blew the stray curls out of her face. Bastard.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hermione could not forgive herself for getting her wand stripped from her. It had taken her half an hour to find it. And he stole her Rennberry bush. This would just not do. That was her bush, he would now have an advantage in the competition. She would not stand for it. He obviously wasn't aware who he was messing with, she decided as she wandered back through the forest.

Revenge was required, something that would hurt. She mulled over what she could do. It had to be clever, ideally something that highlighted their own complicity. She thought about breaking into the Three Broomsticks and stealing her bush back, maybe doing some damage to their prospects in the competition as well. But she doubted she'd get through the wards, it would probably take hours and she didn't have that much time, she had a competition to win after all.

She mulled over what she was going to do and finally settled on a plan. It was devious because it required the Slytherins to be the little shits they were in order to work. But if there was one thing you could depend on in this world, it would be that Slytherins were Slytherins.

There was just one thing in the plan that was less than stellar, it was that she had to go swimming in the lake. It was early spring, but the lake was still freezing. But if she wanted revenge so that is what she had to do.

She went straight to the lake and stripped off her clothes. The water was incredibly cold when she waded in and her skin was burning. It was so cold she could hardly breath, but determination drove her on, down into the depths of the lake, where she soon found what she was looking for, algae.

It was normal green algae. Good for very little, but its infinitely more rare cousin developed a powder on its leaves at certain time of year that was instrumental for a potent blood replenishing potion.

She dressed as fast as she could which was hard because she couldn't feel her fingers. She shook all the way back to Wiseacres, where she rushed into the bath. She told the concerned girls that she'd fallen into a stream.

Once she was dry and could control her extremities again, she got the algae out of her bag and dried it off. Luckily the algae was quite sticky when dry and it didn't take much to put some bicarb soda on the leaves. After that she hung it out of the second store window to dry on the slate roof tiles. Sunlight was needed to cure the rare cousin, wouldn't do anything for the bicarb, but no one needed to know that. Then she went about her business.

She helped with the brewing for a while because Parvati needed a break.

"I swear, I'm smelled enough revolting potions today, I'm going to pass out." Parvati said. "I can't believe we have another two days of this. I hate this competition."

"It will be worth it." Hermione said. Well, maybe not, but it will be worth rubbing Malfoy's face in it. "I think we're going to do well. I have something in my bag that I am pretty sure no one has. A bezoar." Parvati's eyes widened.

"Where did you get it?" She asked. It would counter pretty much any poison and would be invaluable in a medicinal kit.

"I always carry one." She had ever since Ron was poisoned in sixth year. "And there is nothing in the directions that says we can't use things we came across in the village. No one needs to know that we didn't find it."

A moment later, yells started coming from the other side of the street. Hermione smiled. Vicky and Parvati looked up and rushed outside. The Slytherins were opening every window in the Three Broomsticks.

They stood there and watched the show. There was still lots of yelling going on inside.

And then the door slammed open and Malfoy marched outside, towards them. He was in his undershirt again. Hermione wondered if he always worked with his shirt off. She couldn't blame him, those black robes must be fairly restrictive. Just like him to suffer for fashion.

He kept coming and Vicky was getting her wand out, but he pushed her out of the way. He grabbed Hermione by the throat.

"You did this." He said matter of factly.

Hermione didn't answer, just stared into his eyes. She wasn't going to confirm or deny anything.

Theo and Blaise was there pulling him back.

"What's wrong with you." Blaise said. "Get off her, Draco."

"You don't get it." He yelled back at Blaise. "She set you up."

"You can't just attack her on the street."

"All of our potions are ruined!" Draco yelled.

Hermione smiled, her eyes not leaving his. Theo got in between them and pushed Draco back, but Draco was resisting.

"Well played, Mudblood." He said sharply in a low voice.

Finally he relented and walked back to the Three Broomsticks, with Blaise joining him. Theo stayed.

"What's he on about, Granger?" Theo said.

"No idea." Hermione said and went back inside.

She heard later, that one of their potions had mysteriously started to bubble over something shocking and it had contaminated all their other brews. They couldn't explain how it happened, but they thought someone had gotten in and sabotaged their work. They never mentioned anything about ill begotten ingredients.

Well, the Slytherins were pretty much out of the competition, they were a good eight hours down on brewing and it was unlikely they would catch up. They still had the Rennberry bush, but she was pretty sure that wouldn't be enough to make up for the lost time.

Hermione felt on top of the world. She felt a twinge of remorse for Theo, but in the larger scheme of things, she felt absolutely fantastic. It was so nice to feel good, to be without the constant awfulness. And it felt like just desserts for everything they had done to her during this war and before. And at this point it was a general they, they as in the effin Slytherins, they as in well meaning, but not so well meaning others, the oblivious others who clung to their ignorance. She hated all of them. She even hated Harry.

She went with the girls to the Hufflepuffs that night. Had a drink or two. She wondered what the Slytherins were doing. She wondered if he was drunk. Or if he was laying in bed plotting revenge. Surely he would be aware that he had definitely lost this one. She hoped it burned.

"I heard you have a bezoar." Michael Corner said to her.

"We do." Hermione said. She wasn't all that happy that this was known outside of the girls, but they weren't doing anything wrong.

"I wish I had one. Where did you find it?"

"At Wiseacres." Hermione lied. She then changed the subject.

Parvati was obviously into Michael and Hermione suspected that she was trying to impress him. Why are girls so stupid around boys? Michael didn't seem to mind the attention one little bit. In fact, they both stayed behind and chatted when Hermione and Vicky were ready to go back.

It was a nice spring evening and Hermione was a feeling like it was spring after a very, very long winter. When they got back, Vicky went into the kitchen to make herself some toast, while Hermione got ready for bed. She went down to make a cup of coco and checked on the potions one last time before bed. They were going along just time. One of them needed an ingredient in about two hours and Parvati had promised she would stay up.

"Its all looking fine." She said when she heard Vicky in the doorway.

"Good to hear." She heard a voice that wasn't Vicky's.

Hermione swung around to the intruder. She didn't have her wand, but he did.

"How'd you get through the wards?" She asked from where she was standing on the other side of the table.

"I used to be a Deatheater, remember, it was part of the job description." Draco said. He stood in the door jamb looking relaxed. Still dressed the same as he did earlier in the day.

"Nice nightgown." He said referring to her pink cotton nightgown with a cartoon koala on it that her grandparents for her in Australia. "It is distinctly unflattering."

"You need to leave." Hermione said as commandingly as she could manage. "You are not allowed to be in our camp."

"Now I heard this little rumour." He said and stepped into the room.

Hermione wanted to back away, but there was a table between them. He started moving to one edge of the table and she moved to the other.

"What rumour?" She said.

"That you have a bezoar." He said. Hermione cursed under her breath. "And as punishment for your little campaign this morning, you are going to give it to me."

Hermione snorted. "I am not."

He pointed his wand at her, but she refused to cower. He walked around the edge of the table and Hermione walked around the other side.

"Vicky!" Hermione yelled.

"Vicky is having a nice little nap." Draco said. Hermione needed to get her wand.

"Come on, just tell me where it is." Draco said. "And then I'll leave."

"Hell no." Hermione said. "Just so we're clear, hell no."

"Oh you will give it to me." He said and jumped onto the table.

Hermione threw her half empty cup of coco at him and ran, she needed to go upstairs to get her wand. How the hell did she get caught without her wand? Because she didn't expect him to break her wards, that's why.

He dived for her and knocked her off her feet. Hermione scrambled out and kicked him in the face. He howled in pain and rage, but she didn't get further than past the stairs before he tackled her again. He flipped her over and pointed the wand into her neck.

"Tell me where it is." He said with an attempt to calm his voice. "Or I will make you."

"You can't make me." She said. "You certainly can't use an unforgiveable, you'd be thrown in Azkaban for life. I hardly think this competition if that important to you. It certainly isn't to me, but if it would throw you in prison, go ahead and Imperio me. Its the only way you'll get it."

She could see him thinking her words through. The pressure of his wand was not abating on her neck.

"Just be a good girl, Granger." He said. "And get the bezoar. I will leave right away. We'll call it quits and never speak to each other again."

"Tempting as that it, and it really is, the idea of never hearing your voice again. The answer is no."

"Because I said any means remember and I meant it."

"Not even you would be that stupid." She said. She studied his eyes to figure out exactly how insane he was. But his gaze was wandering.

"Any means, Granger." He said returning to her eyes. There was something new in there, something threatening, but she couldn't quite place it. She started to struggle, but he subdued her by locking her wrists down. "I did warn you."

He had both of her wrists in his hand. She struggled, but she couldn't overcome his strength. His other hand travelled down to her thigh and started to lift her edge of her night gown up.

Her eyes widened as he got to her underwear. "You wouldn't."

"Just give me what I want he said." He ripped her underwear. "Believe me I don't want to but you have to stick to your principles, you know. And I said I would take everything you hold precious." Hermione struggled even harder, but his weight was pinning her down.

He moved around and somehow he got into the position he wanted to be in. She could feel him at her entrance. She stared at him, somewhere in between panic, pleading and not knowing what he was.

"Oh, there it is." He said. "Your maidenhead. I knew it would be. Stop struggling, we don't want to do anything we intended to, now do we?"

Hermione stopped, she didn't know what to do. She could feel pressure. On some level she couldn't really believe what was happening.

"Now tell me where it is and I will leave your precious little virginity intact."

Part of her was screaming to say no, but she was scared.

"Can't unring that bell." He said matter of factly. "You will be in a position where you will always know it was me. Forever. Although everyone things it already was. So I guess it doesn't really matter."

"Its in the tin on the bookshelf downstairs." She said. He watched her face to see if she was telling the truth then collapse on her.

"Of all the times your Gryffindor courage would fail you." He said. Hermione tried to push him off. After a few goes he complied and pulled back to sit on his knees while he zipped up, for real this time. He stood up.

"I was kind of hoping you'd say no, but I am a gentleman." He said.

"I don't think you quite understand the concept." Hermione said.

"Sure I do." He said. "You were well warned. Nothing personal, just business." He said as he wandered downstairs to the bookshelf. She heard him rifling through it.

"Got it." He said lightly. "I'm off then."

Hermione was in shock. She got up and went to check on Vicky who was sleeping in a chair, with a piece of toast still in her hand. Hermione felt rage boil up in her. He had beaten her, and she had chickened out. She had just been too shocked. His tactics were over the line and she knew it, but she still felt like she had chickened out, let him win. But he had been right, her virginity was something she saw as precious and she wasn't prepared to give it is some stupid pissing contest with Mr. Pond Scum. In retrospect she wasn't surprised that he'd been prepared for such tactics, but she had been surprised that he was prepared to, physically prepared to.

And she was pretty sure that she was supposed to be feeling violated, and crying with shame and indignity, but she wasn't, she was angry. Angry she lost. Maybe she was too shocked, maybe the disgust would hit her tomorrow. Maybe there was something downright wrong with her, because part of her still wished she'd said no. Part of her wanted to deny him till death. It really disturbed her that there was part of her that was perfectly ok with her having sex with him in order to defy him. Because if she said no, it would have been with full willingness of the consequences, because there wasn't a realm in any reality where a bezoar was worth more than a few galleons. Whatever just happened it wasn't about a fucking bezoar.

Right now she just wanted to go to bed. She had to levitate Vicky to bed, because she was in a deep sleep. She refused to let go of that piece of toast.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hermione didn't leave Wiseacres for the rest of the challenge. She didn't try to fix the wards even though she knew he could get in. She didn't expect him to come, he had won and he would be gloating. In his own mind at least, she doubted very much he'd be telling anyone about what happened.

She didn't feel particularly injured the next day either. And that concerned her much more than what actually happened. She had to confront the idea that there was something seriously wrong with her. This whole thing, the isolation, the non-caring and this thing with Malfoy was a consequence of that. She was mental and she'd found a nut to play with.

She spent the next two days brewing potions and thinking about it. No sane person would find the biggest head case in school and declare war on them. And then on some level feel cheated when said head case didn't rape her.

She had to get this in control. She had to stop engaging with Malfoy.

The points award ceremony happened around five on the last day. The Ravenclaws won. Draco had given them the bezoar in a tactical move that ensured the Gryffindors didn't win. There was no way the Slytherins kit was up to scratch even with the bezoar.

He was staring at her through the prize giving, but she ignored him. He was well pleased and it burned inside her, but she had to stop engaging with him even though her fingers were itching to claw his eyes out.

Hermione stuck to Vicky and Parvati's side the entire walk home.

"Are you sure there is nothing going on between you and Malfoy?" Vicky said. "Because he can't take his eyes off you. I think he's in love with you."

Hermione didn't say anything. Saying anything would just bring questions. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted it all to go away. She wanted to crawl into bed and not talk to anyone for a whole week.

She made a point of not sitting opposite Malfoy. In fact she make sure there was someone in their line of sight. But it didn't take long before he had moved slightly so they were in sight of each other. She could feel his gaze on her. It felt like warmth, calling her. An itch that was screaming for a scratch.

And then the days started, they just blurred into each other. She slept, ate, went to class and avoided Malfoy's gaze like there was no tomorrow. He wasn't giving up. He took every opportunity, even cornered her in the potions storage room. She had to squeeze past him, putting them face to face for a second. A reminder that they had been face to face a few times, even closer than they were standing there in the potions storage room doorway. A whole inch apart with her breath hitched. And she wanted to touch him.

Not a hard nipple twist, but she was pretty sure she had an urge to touch him. What the fuck was wrong with her, she screamed inside her mind as she sat down to pretend listen to the lecture.

Her situation was not helped by her dreams which were fixated on what happened. Fixated on that moment when they were in the upstairs hall, just about 'joined'. Her dreams wanted to pursue the road not taken, but it had no points of reference due to her inexperience so it just stalled at that moment. Sometimes you're better off not knowing what your psyche is up to, she decided, because her subconscious was obsessed with having sex with Malfoy. Could she potentially get more demented?

She decided to go talk to Madam Pomfrey to say that she was struggling a bit. She got a resolute order to cheer up and that perhaps some exercise would do her good. Apparently it clears the cobwebs out. Hermione chided herself for expecting more. Mental health in the wizard world consisted of the looney bin at St. Mungos.

Beyond that she didn't say a peep to anyone about what was going on in her head. What were they going to do anyway? Sympathise. Fat lot of good that would do her. She didn't tell on Malfoy either. If she did, she would have to tell everything and she really, really didn't want people picking through it. As much as she hated Malfoy, she couldn't see an upside to making an issue of it. Besides everyone thought they were having sex anyway and this was not a particularly enlightened society. She couldn't prove a damned thing and even if they were to believe her, she would have to prove she was a virgin for everyone to then feel justified in giving him a slap on the wrist for being a brute. The Daily Prophet articles would go on forever and she would probably be the girl who cried rape every time something didn't go her way.

Malfoy, who was initially quite pleased with her avoiding him was starting to get annoyed. His attention intensified. Hermione could feel it in class. It was a constant companion. Sometimes she couldn't help herself. As soon as her eyes met his it was like there was some kind of communion going on, pulling her in. He sneered at her, feeling the pulse of his victory. But she refused to let him, she broke away as soon as she could manage. Sometime with more success than other times.

But she was a sucker for it. It got her heart racing and her ire up. It was so tempting. The urge to look back built up until she relented. And it was building up right now, in charms class. Eventually she had to turn and look. As she knew he would be, his attention was right there, telling her that he had won, that he was watching her. She was tearing her eyes away, but he made a little whistle and when she looked back he was making little grinding movements with his hips like he was having sex with an imaginary figure.

She felt pure hatred at that moment. How was she not supposed to retaliate against that? Suddenly a hex went flying past her and knocked him quite violently off his stool. The commotion was instant with the teacher yelling. Harry was rushing for Draco ready to hex him again and Draco was getting his wand out for duel. The kids were screaming.

Hermione tried to hold Harry back. "Its not worth it, Harry!"

Harry shrugged her off. "At what point will it be worth it, Mione? I don't know what the fuck is going on with you, but he's been harassing you for weeks. And you're just taking it."

Teachers were in the room now, pulling Harry away. Malfoy was marched off somewhere too.

"I got detention again, and a last warning." Harry said when he returned to the common room. "What the hell is going on Mione? Are you a couple and if so, why are you letting him treat you like that?"

"We're not a couple Harry, we never have been." Hermione said. "Its just this thing. This fighting thing we have. Each retaliating on the other. Its a sick and twisted thing, and I am trying to stop it."

"People have seen you kissing." Harry said disbelieving. "Like all over Hogwarts. There are rumours.."

"I don't need to know what the rumours say, Harry. I have a pretty good idea, but it wasn't what it seemed. The kisses were something he staged."

"So you did kiss him."

"Yes, but not because I wanted to."

"Is he into you?"

"No!" She said. "He is into wiping the floors with my face and visa versa. That's all. But it has to stop because its going too far."

"Has he hurt you?" Harry demanded intently.

"He will if this goes on. Or I will." Hermione said. She did not want to go into details about what actually happened during their last little skirmish. Harry would kiss his future goodbye if he found out. "I just need to get a perspective."

"I'll help you any way I can." Harry said. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

"I'm not sure I would have let you if you tried Harry." Hermione said with sadness. "I'm not coping well at the moment. I don't know what the hell I am doing."

Harry gave her a hug and it was nice. Nice to have her friend back and she would make a wholehearted attempt at not pushing him away. If she was going to get out of this thing, she needed to start embracing the people who cared about her.

And she tried, so did Harry. She was sitting with them again. Harry tried really hard to include her, often to the point where she felt completely suffocated. But intellectually she appreciated the effort. Hermione tried to seem normal with everything she had. She sat with them and paid attention to the conversation, even laughed at the jokes, but it wasn't true joy, it was put on. She was surprised how good an actress she was.

Malfoy was not happy. His attention was still unbearable, but she abjectly refused to engage with him. One day at lunch she'd had enough, she stared him straight in the eyes and made a hand gesture shooing him away. She needed to send the message out and clear that his attention was not welcome.

But the response she got was not what she expected. The look of rage on him was more than she'd ever seen. He got up on the table and jumped off, sending cutlery and food flying. He jumped down and then up on the Hufflepuff table. He was charging her and it was actually a beautiful sight as she sat there and watched it.

Harry was throwing hexes at him and Hermione's mind switched into gear by the time he was on the Ravenclaw table. She realised that she had to run and she scrambled out of her seat and started for the door. Teachers were yelling at him and the noise of the commotion was overwhelming. Hermione could only hear her heart beating, but she noticed a hex flying past her as she reached the door. She didn't know if that was him or Harry trying to hit him.

She knocked someone over as she ran out the door, but she wasn't going to stop. She could hear him behind her, running. She could hear his footfalls as she ran, and he was getting closer. He was really close and she stumbled on something hitting the ground hard. He had too much momentum to stop so he shot past her, but slid to stop his momentum. Hermione popped up and started running the other way, it took him all of two seconds to be on her tail again, but a hex of some kind finally hit him and down he went. Hermione kept running.

She had the same feelings she'd had during the war. Someone was trying to hurt her and she was scared witless. In her mind it wasn't really about Malfoy, she was back in the war fighting for her life with Deatheaters chasing her. If she stopped they would kill her. She ran until she collapsed, she wasn't sure where she was. There was no one around and she had nothing left, but tears, lots of tears.

It was past dinner when she had the wherewithal of return to the castle. Harry and Ron were worried sick.

"You just kept going." Ron said. "Where have you been?"

Hermione shrugged.

"Malfoy's gone." Ron said. "They summond his parents. They came and took him away. They've put him in the looney bin. Always knew he ended up there."

"He's in St. Mungos?" Hermione asked.

"No, they've taken him to some sanatorium overseas." Harry said.

"Apparently he's totally balmy." Ron said with glee. "Always knew he was a nutter. That whole family is bonkers."

"Hey, my godfather was part of that family."

"And he was a few short. Loved him, but let's face it." Ron said. Harry looked like he wanted to keep arguing, but decided to let it go.

"You won't have to see him again." Harry said as he pulled Hermione down on the seat into a hug.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Hermione felt his absence straight away. First she was kind of happy. There was no intense stares, no harassment, no nothing. In a sense it felt like victory. The enemy was vanquished. But the victory high soon gave away to what was now complete nothingness. She tried to engage with Harry and Ron, but it just wouldn't take.

They practiced quidditch a lot. An awful lot of practice for a piddly little four day tournament after Newts. Else they were getting around the female population of Hogwarts.

There was an empty seat in almost all of her classes. Nothing there any more for her to react to, to sit up straight, to stare ahead. Now there was just nothing.

She wasn't suppose to feel this way, but that didn't change the fact that she did. Her plague was removed and she was feeling even worse.

She still dreamed about him though. He was in her dreams every single night. Sometimes they fought, sometimes he chased her, he never really caught her, she always managed to get away, but there were times when she just wanted to stop, wanted to be caught.

She was slipping back into the awfulness and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew without a doubt that she was, but that just didn't help things.

She just needed to sleep, rest would get her through it. One day she would wake up feeling better, once she was rested. So she slept.

There were days when she couldn't be bothered going to class. Or else, class would exhaust her to the point where she had to sleep after. Ginny started bringing her food because she couldn't be bothered going down for dinner.

Everything felt like a cardboard cut out, all the people, all the scenery and she felt nothing.

The tournament came around again. The last one. The tie breaker between the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws. The task has something to do with writing a set of bylaws for the village. The Slytherins had replaced Draco with James Meddleworth, who was alright she guessed, for a Slytherin.

There wasn't much running around with this task, it just involved sitting around and thinking of things people were or were not allowed to do. Vicky was in her element, which was good because Hermione could not work up the effort to care. Parvati took care of the writing, the cooking and the cleaning, which was appreciated because if someone didn't put food in front of her, she couldn't be bothered chasing it down.

She lost a lot of weight. She wandered down to the lake one afternoon and just sat on a rock. The girls were getting a bit annoying and Hermione needed some alone time.

Sitting there, close to the spot where he had pushed her into the Grippyweed, she had to concede that she missed him. And if she was prone to exceedingly nauseating sappiness, she would have to concede that the light had gone out of her life when he left.

She had gotten over the fact that it was completely and utterly demented to want him in her life, but she was clearly not functioning without him. She actually understood those people who missed war now, it was just empty when your enemy deserts you.

And she couldn't stop thinking about him. She analysed their whole history together. They had been butting heads since the very first day. Never on the scale it was now, but it had always been there. She knew he had been damaged by the war. So had she, she was smart enough to realise that they were both reacting to the war. Some kind of misplaced stress reaction.

And now he was off getting fixed, and he left her behind in this shit.

The Ravenclaws won the challenge and the tournament. Hermione didn't begrudge them their victory, they did a fairly good job of it. Good enough, she guessed. At least she could get back to bed now.

A few blinks later it was Newts time. Hermione tried to study, she summoned everything she had left and managed to go over other peoples notes. Everyone owed her, so she didn't feel bad asking them to hand their notes over. One more little effort and it would all be done. Just a little more and she would be on her way home to drown herself in a bottle of Prozac or whatever muggles took to make them happy. She had no problems with plastering over her real feeling with bottle provided ones. Her old self would have been outraged, but that person was gone.

"You ready?" Ginny said.

Hermione nodded. She wasn't feeling nervous, that was part of feeling and that ability had deserted her now.

"Can't believe they let him back?" Parvati said to someone.

"Who?" Ginny said.

"Malfoy."

Hermione's head shot up.

"He's back for Newts." Parvati said. "I don't know if he's staying."

Hermione felt like her body was inflating like a balloon. Her heart was beating, and her fingers and toes were tingling.

"You ok?" Ginny said.

"I'm fine." Hermione said.

"He won't hurt you." Ginny said seemingly concerned that she'd be distressed.

"I'm fine." She repeated.

They walked down towards the Great Hall where the exams were. Hermione watched every face on the way there. She spotted him instantly as she walked in the room. He was sitting in one of the desks in the back. Dressed all in black as he normally does. His hair was cut and he looked well groomed like he always used to be. He spared her the briefest of looks, but then didn't pay any more attention to her.

Hermione couldn't help but stare at him all through the directions and well into the start of the exam. She had to turn her attention back to the exam, her intellect whipped her into work, but she would sneak peeks at him every now and then.

He was sitting far away but she could feel his presence in the room. She felt excitement in her gut. Like an addict getting access to their drug.

The test finished. She did a half way decent job, the sane part of her mind had whipped and carroted its way through. It was going for broke.

Malfoy didn't look her way at the end, neither did he look her way at lunch. Hermione really wanted him to. He wanted him to engage with her, but he refused. He chatted with his house mates, but he was reserved, and so where they. They were acting like they were on egg shells, but he started joking with them and they started to relax. Hermione watched it all. She wasn't the only person watching him, most of the teachers and about half of the students were keeping half an eye on him to ensure he didn't set the place on fire.

"Guess he is cured." Harry said to her.

Hermione nodded absently. She didn't want him to be cured. She was stuck here and he had just moved on. Harry squeezed her hand.

She wanted to cry through the next exam, she needed to sleep so badly, but the sane part of her who's primary concern was her future refused to let her just walk out.

Dinnertime was plain torture as Hermione sat there and watched him ignore her. She knew she was sick and needed help, she knew he was right in what he was doing, but just felt so awful. Just a few more days, she told herself and she could drug herself into oblivion.

Two more excruciatingly torturous days of exams. There was extreme elation after the last exam, Hermione didn't feel it. She slept through the whole party. It was that or she would likely stand outside the Slytherin common room waiting for him, and she didn't care how sick she was, she had some pride.

And then it was quidditch time. She would have stayed in bed, but he would be there, playing for Slytherin. The afternoon match was Slytherins against Hufflepuffs. The Gryffindors had beaten the Ravenclaws that morning and would play the winners of this match tomorrow afternoon.

Harry, Ron, Ginny and the rest of the team were sitting in the stands talking tactics. Hermione sat on the edge a ways away. She watched the teams walk onto the fields. She could see him, see his blond hair shining in the sun. The Slytherin team huddled around and chatted about something before spreading out and taking to the air.

She only watched him. Watched those lightning speed reactions that had gotten her so many times. She watched his instincts and his skill. He dodged some bludgers. Then zipped around close to the stands. She saw him look at her for an instance and her heat started racing.

He dived, he must have seen the snitch. Hermione couldn't see it, but she never could. But he wasn't stopping, we was getting too close. He was going to crash into the stands. Hermione stood up. Not knowing what to do. He was much too close.

And then she felt his arm around her waist and she was being pulled up in the air.

"Malfoy!" She screamed. He held her tight and she clinged to him. Not cured, not cured, her mind was yelling at her, and he is going to lift you a hundred metres into the air and drop you. She wound her arms around his neck and she was not going to let go for anything.

He kept going, there were screams behind them. She could see Harry on the railing of the stands trying to do something with his wand. But is wasn't slowing them down.

His quidditch robes smelled like grass and rain from countless hours outside. And then there was just him. The smell that filled her and stilled things.

She felt something tug her in the gut, she was scared that she was falling so she screamed. But he was apparating them. He had obviously gotten out of the non apparition zone and he had taken her somewhere.

He was still holding her when they arrived. Hermione scrambled away as he threw the broom over to the side.

"Missed me?" He said.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Where are we?" Hermione asked.

"Does it matter?"

She had to concede that it didn't really. They were in a kitchen somewhere. Not a big one, a small kitchen attached to what seemed a small cottage. Obviously not his home.

He watched her for a second and then advanced on her, slowly. She pulled her wand out and pointed it at him. It didn't stop him, he didn't seem to notice it, even when it was at his neck. Hermione could only watch as he came closer and closer. And she probably couldn't even define what she was feeling at the moment, whatever it was, there was a lot of it. She felt adrenalin, her mouth was dry.

"I'll hex you." She warned.

"Go ahead. You probably should." He said. She reaffirmed her grip on her wand, but she couldn't get her brain to do anything. A big part of her didn't want to do anything, the part that wanted to be exactly here.

The part of her that was expecting a fight wasn't getting it either. He moved slowly and kept his steady progress even as she backed up.

"You are not allowed to do this." She said.

He nodded his head like she was saying something that had very little meaning in the scheme of things. She wanted to ask what he was planning to do, but it would sound weak so she refused. In fact, she could just apparate out any second, but she didn't, she just kept her wand digging into his neck.

She looked her up and down, she was wearing her school uniform. No one else was, but she couldn't really bother thinking about what to wear in the mornings, so she ended up with the no brainer option. Thinking hurt.

"You really like that uniform, don't you?" He said. "What are you going to do now that school is finished. Are they going to have to pry it out of your fingers?"

She narrowed her eyes. He pulled the knot that held his cape in place, it fell with a heavy thud. The quidditch gear was meant for being outside in horrible weather. He did kind of look like he was ready for battle.

"You left the match." She said.

"I had other things on my mind."

"Speaking of your mind, I thought you were away getting it fixed. They seemed to have been remiss on a few points. Abducting your class mates is usually not encouraged behaviour. How was the looney bin, by the way?"

"They were very thorough." He said. "They made me talk about my feelings and I'm feeling quite bitter about it."

Hermione dropped her wand, he wasn't paying attention to it anyway, besides it was wearing on her arm holding it so intently. She wasn't letting it go though, whatever he was planning, she would just have to wait until her revealed his cards.

"Did you plan this?" She asked.

"Yes."

Hermione's heart speed up even faster. This hadn't been a gut reaction, he had planned whatever it was he was doing.

"What are you going to do?" She asked trying to sound brave.

"Well, see, in the looney bin, as you so eloquently called it, they were adamant on peeling my being away like an onion, or so they were telling me. To reveal what lay hidden in the deepest part of my soul. My deepest desire of my psyche that drove my beliefs, my actions and my thoughts. And you know what they found?"

"No." Hermione said.

"It seems that what I really, really want," he said, "is to take your virginity."

Hermione stared at him trying to make out if he was teasing her. But he looked dead serious. Fucking looney.

"As it turns out that is not an acceptable deepest desire. Quite the opposite. So I made up some bullshit about wanting my parents approval, blah, blah, blah. Squeezed out a tear or two and they were over the moon with the progress I was making. They wanted me to start integrating back into society, based on the strong steps forward in achieving good mental health."

Hermione had run out of room to back up and he was still coming close, very close. She could feel his uniform starting to crumple hers.

"But enough about that, lets get back to what I want." He continued.

"So that's your plan, you're just going to take it?" Hermione said. He was close now, they were touching.

"Yes." He whispered in her ear. He was running his lips along her neck, tasting her. Hermione didn't know what to do. Her brain wasn't working, the sensations of his lips on her neck was overruling everything in her head. She was scared of these sensations, they were so much more intense than anything she'd experienced. In fact the closest she had been to a boy was him, that is how lacking her experience was. And he wanted to go all the way. That was a pretty far ways from where she was used to being. They were close now, but this time, his hands were on her. Sliding around her back and squeezing her close.

"And if I object?" She said in a voice that she had to try hard not to sound like a high pitched squeak.

He didn't say anything, his moved his lips to hers, only millimetres apart. She could feel his breath on her lips. It was so hot in here, she could hardly breath. She needed space to think. And those lips were just so close, with her brain screaming at her that she wanted a kiss.

She felt his tongue stroke her bottom lip and something broke. She needed to know what really kissing him felt like and nothing was going to hold her back. She took the kiss. Took everything there was there. Whatever way she was damned, she would go full hog.

His tongue was in her mouth, claiming it for his own. And he wasn't holding back, he wanted it all. He lifted her up and them closer, she could feel his whole body grinding against her.

He broke the kiss and went for her neck again. He didn't bother trying to undo the buttons of her shirt, he just ripped them out. The cool air was welcome, because she was burning up, but she wanted his skin against hers. Just needed to know. She tugged on his uniform, but couldn't get it off. He helped, it buttoned down the side apparently.

And then they were free. His skin felt so good, so warm. She wanted more of it. They were on the floor and she could feel the weight on him, that part of her that ached for him had been waiting for this. She could feel him at her entrance again, like before, but this time she wasn't shocked out of her wits. She had been in this situation a hundred times in her dreams.

This felt like the culmination of everything. She wasn't sure she wanted this, but she was pretty sure she needed it. Whatever it was that she needed from him, this was a part of it. She didn't know what this was, he hated her, she hated him, but it was clear that they had something in each other that they couldn't find anywhere else.

"This is going to hurt." He said. She nodded.

He stilled and watched her as he pushed in deeper. It hurt like hell, but she didn't avoid it, it felt right. She was having it on with him, with the enemy, it was only right that there was pain. Maybe she needed this pain. He kept on pushing until he was all the way inside her.

It twinged with pain as he pulled back again, then in. She held the pain as tight as she could, held onto it. It felt like a lost treasure. Something that should have been there all along, but hadn't, and now she was reacquainted with this lost companion.

He kept on pulling out and pushing in, and there was something that was urging her to let go. But she was too scared to let go. She had been holding onto this burden for so long, what would she be if she let go. But it kept on tugging at her. There was something in her mind that told her she was here, she might as well go for broke. So she let go, let it slip away.

He was moving in and out of her body, she could hear him breathing hard. She felt completely empty. Like there wasn't even anything to care about. And then there were little sensations that were building. She watched him as he strained above her, he looked like he was in excruciating pain, but driven to keep going. The sensations kept creeping in, with every stoke it built. She found that if she moved her hips a little, the sensation would linger a little longer.

And then his attention returned to her, his eyes were right there staring into her. And little flame of sensation flared up into a fire that burned every part of her. She wasn't sure she could protect herself from it if she tried. Or him, he could see every part of her. She couldn't hide.

And then something was over taking him, he couldn't keep the intense stare between them, his eyes were clouding over, he arched up and groaned through gritted teeth.

And she for some reason she wanted to hold him, and she did. He lay on top of her for ages. Hermione had her head in the crook of his neck and they just stayed there until their breath returned and their bodies started to cool.

He was heavy, but she felt light. She smelled his sweat and it was beautiful. Damned him for being so beautiful. How is that possibly fair? She didn't want to let go of him. Which really was the craziest thing in the world.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Draco got off her and she felt cold. She searched for her shirt and put it on. It wasn't really cold considering it was just about summer, but lying on stone floors didn't make you warmer.

Draco went to the sink and poured a glass of water. He drunk it.

"Do you need some?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Where are we?"

"This is a little cottage that Snape gave to me." He said. "His safe house. He didn't need it any more."

"You're going to be in trouble." She said.

He shrugged. "You might not have noticed but I am always in trouble."

Hermione felt awkward, she wasn't sure she was ready to face what she had just done.

"They will be looking for you." She said.

"They won't find me here." He said. "Nobody knows about this place. He kept this secret for decades."

"I know about it."

"I guess I can't let you leave then." He said, but he said it in a light way like he was joking. He stood there with his shirt off. Not at all concerned with his own nudity. He was looking at her in a considering way.

Hermione blushed. She still couldn't believe that she had done that with him.

"I'll show you around." He said with a slight nod towards the other room. "Snape kept all of his most treasured books here."

He watched as her curiosity got the better of her, then walked out of the room. Hermione considered what to do for a minute, but her curiosity was winning the battle. It was Snape's most treasured collection. She would come out of retirement for that.

She walked into the room where Draco had gone, it was a sitting room. Small and cosy, full of dark wood, large chairs and old carpets. It looked like the room had been decorated about 150 years ago.

A clock ticked in the room accentuating the silence as Hermione perused the books.

"He left this all to you?" She said.

Draco nodded.

"Like you need more stuff." She said.

"He thought I might need a place no one knew about." He said. "It is stocked with the essentials. We stayed here."

Hermione knew what he was referring to, after Dumbledore died. So this is where they were. A lovely little cottage. She had hoped he'd be freezing in a gutter somewhere at the time, but he was nice and cosy here. He always had the means to be comfortable it seemed. When she was stuck freezing her arse off in a tent, burden by that awful locket, he was here or at his manor.

She could see the gardens outside. They were gorgeous and lush. Summer was blooming.

"He liked to garden." Draco said. "No one knew that. Sure surprised me. He spent most days out there, when he wasn't required elsewhere. He was a man of secrets. Nursed them like he did those flowers."

Hermione didn't know what to say. So she turned her attention back to the books.

"Bedrooms upstairs." He said. Hermione blushed again, but she tried to block those types of thoughts out of her mind.

He still hadn't said what he was planning. Was he going to let her leave? She wasn't pushing the issue, maybe because there was part of her that didn't want to leave. Leave and go back to Hogwarts, back to where she was before. Not one hundred percent appealing. There was no rush really, a little time away wouldn't hurt her. He had gotten what he wanted, so she didn't really have any direct fears for herself.

"You're not going back are you?" She asked.

"Nope."

"You can't hide here forever."

"Why not?"

Hermione didn't exactly know why not. She couldn't actually think of a reason why not. Well there was his parents, but she could see why he wasn't exactly rushing home. Neither was she for that matter. Home had no calling to her right now. Neither did her friends.

This cottage was the perfect escape. No pressures, no people. She was a bit jealous.

"No elves." She said.

"No."

"How are you going to feed yourself?" She said finding something to pop a hole in his pipedream.

"I, believe it or not, can cook." Draco said.

"I don't believe you." Hermione said with incredulity.

"A talent borne out of necessity." He said. "And since when do I lie?"

"I supposed its not a lie if you believe your delusions." She said.

"Well, you're not getting any dinner." He said with a huff and walked out.

Hermione looked over Snape's books again, actually they were Malfoy's books now. She hated how easy everything came to him. Material things. But also other stuff. Snape had gone out of his way to protect him, Dumbledore too. Even Harry when it came down to it. She was pretty sure that they wouldn't have gone to that extent for her. Well, Harry probably, but not the grown ups. They would have been very sorry for losing her, but she was not as precious as Malfoy was at the end of the day, and she had always known that underneath it all.

She had always worked so hard for their approval, always pushed that little bit further, but it was never enough and it was never going to be. Malfoy had just been the only one who was honest about it, so she guessed he didn't lie in that sense.

Harry never saw her that way, but Ron did. Even though he cared about her and conceded that she was better at most things, there was always that little something, that little thing about her heritage that said she would never be quite the same. It came out when he was angry or when she wasn't doing something she was supposed to. She didn't understand, it wasn't her fault.

She hated thinking about it, but she wasn't in the mood for delusions herself. And she loved Harry for his unquestioning belief in her. He really was like family. But the fact that she could face this discrimination head on didn't mean that she had to stop fighting it, she just had to concede that it might not be a fight she'd ever win.

She felt all too tender. Stripping ones delusions away left one vulnerable. Probably too vulnerable to deal with Malfoy. But it felt good too, being completely honest with oneself.

She sat down in one of the chairs and just sat there watching the garden outside. The bees were out doing their thing. The sun was going down.

Malfoy cooked some kind of casserole. It didn't compare to Mrs. Weasley's cooking, but it wasn't bad. They ate in silence around the kitchen table.

"You really are going to have to invest in something other than that school uniform." Malfoy said. "I'm pretty sure its illegal to wear it if you're not a Hogwarts student. If not, then certainly immortal."

"I have clothes."

"Those muggle things you wear." Draco said. "Do the muggles purposefully try to make themselves unattractive?"

"They make comfortable clothes."

"Well, you put too much stock in comfort."

"Should I be uncomfortable so men can comment on my fashion?" Hermione challenged.

"You're supposed to dress so men will be tempted to peel those clothes off."

"You're a pig."

"Beats looking like a pig."

Hermione swatted him with a kitchen towel.

"Is this your MO then, you seduce girls and then insult their dress sense?"

"Is that what I did?" He said. "Did I seduce you?"

Hermione harrumphed, seeing the trap she stepped into.

"Come on, just admit you always wanted me." He teased.

Hermione gasped with indignity. "I kicked you so hard in the privates you practically passed out."

"Foreplay." He said.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" He said. "You were so hot for me you couldn't contain yourself. I saw you checking me out during exams."

Hermione hit him this time.

"And now hitting again." He said and stood up fast enough to make the stool fall back. "Oh darling, are you after my body again?"

"You leave me alone." Hermione said but she couldn't keep a serious face. He was coming towards her and she ran. He chased her. It was a tiny cottage, there wasn't far to run. He grabbed the back of her shirt and pushed her up the stairs.

She tried to push him back, but he just lifted her up. Hermione felt the nearness. He held her so tight.

"Oh, and to finish the tour." He said. "Here is the bedroom." He threw her down on the bed.

"Malfoy!" She yelled. He joined her on the bed, pinning her down with his weight.

"Now what were we talking about?" He said. "Oh, yes, you wanting my body. That was it, wasn't it?"

"You're a deluded buffoon." Hermione said. He was looking at her, his face right above hers.

"Shall we see." He leant down and kissed her. Hermione could resist for about two seconds. She wasn't entirely sure about the body, but she certainly wanted this kiss. It was slow and deliberate. She felt his tongue caress hers and she felt some kind of barrier fall. She wanted more, she wanted to feel more of him. His hand was on her breast and it felt amazing. He unbuttoned her shirt this time and Hermione left the lingering effects of his fingers with each button. His hand slipped around her back and unhooked her bra.

His hand cupped her breast and electricity flowed through her as his thumb stroked her nipple. Heat was pooling in her core and the friction was divine. He broke the kiss and moved down to take her nipple in his mouth. His tongue was snaking around it sending spires of sensation through her.

Ok, she wanted to have sex with him. She wanted him inside her, wanted him in the heat down there. He attended her other nipple with the same lush treatment and Hermione could hardly breath. His fingers crept in under the elastic of her underwear and he touched her. Hermione jerked with the sensation. No one had touched her there. His finger slipped inside her. She felt a sore spot, but the pain was nothing compared to what she was feeling. Her hips moved in conjunction with his ministrations.

He pulled her up and stripped her of her shirt and bra. Then the skirt which had pooled around her waist. She was completely naked. She felt vulnerable, but got distracted when he unzipped and pulled his pants down. He was ready, she could see.

She lay down as he stroked her body with his hands. Then he joined her again and she could feel him slipping inside of her. She could feel energy radiating out throughout her body. There was no pain, just fullness, glorious fullness and heat. He moved and waves of sensation flooded her.

He moved in and out, and Hermione could definitely see why people were going on about this. She loved the feeling when he sunk all the way in. She wanted this. She wanted him. And right now she was not afraid for him to see that. She clasped him to her as he rode her. The sensations were building with each stroke and they were building beyond the sum of its parts. She felt like she was losing control of it, it was evolving on its own. It relentlessly kept on building until she didn' think she could take any more, then everything exploded. Her consciousness seemed to detach for her as these waves of pleasure washed over her.

"Oh my god, oh my god." She was saying but she had no conscious control over what she was saying. And he wasn't stopping and the waves kept on coming. And then as they were dying down a final hard thrust and they started again.

He collapsed on her and Hermione tried to get her brain to start again. She felt completely drained and completely replenished at the same time. Her insides were still burning with heat, but a nice simmer.

He rolled off her.

"I knew you wanted me." He said through gasps. "You can't possibly deny it now."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

They had sex again that night, then in the morning. In fact it was pretty much the only thing they did with the exception of the occasional meal. She held out admitting that she wanted him for a whole two days until he finally tickled it out of her.

She could kiss him forever and sometimes it felt like she would. They didn't go anywhere. They didn't talk about the future, they were living in the present and nothing else existed. Sometimes they would argue but they both knew it was a prelude to sex.

They explored every possible version of it. Sometimes desperate and frantic, sometimes slow and deliberate. Hermione held nothing back. She showed him every part of her soul and she felt she knew his.

Sometimes they would lie in bed and just stare at each other. Then after a couple of weeks they started to talk about everything. Hermione told him about her whole life. He told her about his. They talked about how much they hated each other. And he really hated Harry, but never as much as his all encompassing loathing for her. Even talking about it made him need to fuck her.

There was actually quite a lot of food in Snape's garden, but when they needed something, there was a little muggle village not for away. They never went further. No one ever came to visit and neither did any mail. They would cook together sometimes or try to show that their methods were better than the others, she knew nothing of cooking with a wand, but mother had some killer recipes. There was a particular chocolate cake she did that was just divine.

The world could have slid back into war for all they knew, and all they cared. The world had nothing to offer at this point.

Somehow she had come to adore all the parts about him that she hated, his arrogance, his wickedly sharp wit, his intelligence and his complete lack of consideration for the rules. She even adored his belief that he could do anything he wanted. And the fact that he had the competence, confidence and the guts to get what he wanted was just hot.

And she loved his body, she loved what he did to her. She could hardly tell the difference where he began and she ended anymore. She wanted to know everything about him, she loved learning about him, watching his reactions. Sometimes in the morning, she would wake him by taking him in her mouth, just so she could experience his pleasure. She was too distracted with her own sensations to get the nuances of his experience when they were at it properly.

Part of it was payback for how he teased her some times, slowing it down to an excruciating slow speed where he made her feel every single sensation he was creating in her. She was begging for release, but he wouldn't give it to her until he was well and truly done.

"We have to go back some time." She said one day.

"Why?" He said licking her chocolate covered fingers.

"We can't just lock the world out."

"Fuck em." He said.

"So what, we're just going to stay here forever?" She asked.

"Yes."

She kissed him. She adored the thought, adored the intention even though it was unrealistic.

"I'm a wanted man." Draco said. "I am pretty sure there is a whole auror department looking for me for stealing the Gryffindor princess. They must be in an uproar with this dubiously reformed ex Death eater stealing away the revered mudblood war hero. Potter will probably kill me on the spot considering I have defiled you in every possible way."

Hermione chuckled as he grabbed her close.

"I probably need to let them know that I am alright." Hermione said.

"Let them suffer."

She slapped him on the arm.

"I say we got onto the defiling part." He said and grabbed her hips to him.

She did send a note to Harry that she was fine. She got one back saying that they were indeed being searched for. There was a warrant out for Malfoy's arrest.

"We have to sort this." Hermione said in bed that night.

"Why, no one knows where we are." Draco said.

"I just don't like this hanging over you." She said. "I would be happier if there weren't any misunderstandings. I'll go sort it if you don't want to."

"I'm not letting you go on your own." He said.

"Are you worried I wouldn't return." She teased as she snuggled to him. In truth, nothing could keep her away, but she didn't need to tell him that.

"I am not going to give you the chance." He said. "I stole you, you're mine and I'm not going to let them take you back."

They went to the Ministry the next day. Hermione insisted. Draco was tense. He held her hand the entire time in case someone pulled her away. They were surrounded immediately by aurors pointing their wands at them, at him.

There was a bit of commotion and to Hermione's surprise both Harry and Ron were in the crowd of aurors. She guessed they had both been accepted for auror training. Good for them.

"I'll kill him if he hurt you, Mione." She heard Ron.

"I'm fine Ron." She shouted back. Draco held her hand tighter.

They were bundled into Shacklebolt's office where Hermione told the new minister that it had all been a misunderstanding. Shacklebolt shooed everyone out of his office with the exception of two guard aurors who were standing against the wall behind them.

Hermione told Shacklebolt that they were fine and there was no reason for concern.

He viewed her suspiciously. He was looking for signs that she was under duress or some kind of influence.

"We're in love." She said finally. "I love him." She'd never said it before. He looked at her when she said it, but didn't say anything.

"You've caused quite a commotion." Shacklebolt said.

"I'm sorry, we weren't thinking." She pleaded. "So wrapped up in each other."

Shacklebolt still nodded suspiciously.

"You don't have to leave this office with him, I can make sure he never comes near you again." Shacklebolt said.

"No really, we are fine." Hermione said. The tension in the room was still palpable.

"Well, there is nothing I can do if you won't press charges." He said. "And your parents have been making a nuisance of themselves." He said to Draco. Draco ignored him. "You're free to go, I guess."

Hermione sighed with relief.

"Let's go." Draco said. They got up and walked out. Draco in front, still tightly holding her hand. She could feel his tension. But it was fine, they were fine.

The aurors stepped back when they got out of the door, but there was still pushing and shoving. There were press flashes.

"You can't leave with him, Mione." Harry said. "Come home and we'll talk about it."

"I'm fine Harry."

"So what, you're with him now?" Ron said incredulously through the sounds of the crowd.

"Yes Ron, I'm with him." They said as they made their way down the hall way. "I love him."

"I don't believe you." Ron said. "He's done something to you."

Draco guided them in a quick marched over to the floo fireplace and where he pulled her close before throwing the dust down. They flooed away from the commotion and landed safely back in their idyllic little hideaway.

"That was awful." She said not letting go of him. They stood there for a while. "But its done now."

Then he grabbed her and lifted her up on the kitchen table.

"So, Miss Granger." He said is a low serious voice. "I think you make a public declaration that you loved me." She knew he was teasing. He pushed her down on the table in front of him.

"It was only for effect." She said and tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down.

"Weaselby and Potter were besides themselves." He said. "I'm pretty sure they think that I am threatening you to comply with my evil intentions." He said and pulled off her pants.

"And now they are all worried that I am having my wicked way with you." He said an unzipped his pants. He lined up at her entrance. "Something like this probably. Are you sure you won't press charges?" He teased and roughly entered her.

"I will if you stop." She panted. She was angling herself for better contact as he pounded into her.

"So you love me, huh?" He said and she ignored him. He stopped and Hermione groaned in distress.

"For Merlin's sake Draco." She pleaded as she needed him to keep pounding her.

"Say it." He said. He was blackmailing her, but there was nothing she could do, we was wound so tight, she needed him utterly and completely.

"Now that really is duress." She said trying to pull him closer, but he refused. He was smiling down at her as she squirmed with need.

"I think I want to hear you say it."

"Fine." She shouted with annoyance. "I love you, you prick."

"Good girl." He said and drove her to oblivion.

"I boldly lied." She said when she was catching her breath. She was still clutching him to her.

"Are you going to forcing me to make you say it again?" He said. "Because I can."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The height of summer passed. It was a fairly warm summer. Hermione didn't even mind the few days of rain here and there. Snape's garden was evolving as summer progressed.

Hermione hadn't worn shoes in a couple of weeks. She liked walking without shoes on the grass. She used to when she was little, but she'd gotten out of the habit. Normally when she was home in the summers, prior to the whole war thing, she was too busy running around with her muggle friends to the movies, or shopping or taking the train down to Brighton for a dip in the frigid water.

She wasn't really sure what she did every day, but the days passed. The strawberries were ripe so she found ways of using them, she learned how to make ice cream with a wand.

She got notes from Harry every once in a while, he wanted to check in on her. He didn't blatantly say so, but he wanted to know if she was alright. Hermione was pretty sure he didn't understand at all what was going on with her and Draco. She could understand his hesitancy, the speed from which they went from enemies to lovers was ridiculously quick. It just happened. She didn't normally buy into the 'it just happened' thing, but it really did just happen.

It was like they'd shed a skin and now they were new creatures who belonged together. Hermione didn't want to over analyse it, she was just grateful that it was. She didn't want to analyse because there was scary things in the back of her head. No one approved of this relationship. His parents certainly wouldn't, and her parents wouldn't want her to in a relationship where his family disapproved of her. Neither of their set of friends approved by a long shot.

But they would get used to it. And as it was, they didn't need anything or anyone. But Hermione knew that they could not cocoon themselves forever. Although the temptation was certainly there. But they could perhaps manage their re-entry into society. It wasn't something she particularly wanted, but they needed to for the sake of the future.

So she encouraged them to go out more. To Diagon Alley, that way people would be used to seeing them together. She also wrote Harry more often. She needed her friends and he needed his.

He went to lunch with Blaise one day. Hermione didn't go, it would be too awkward, but she was glad that he was re-establishing contact with his friends, awful as they were. They were his and he could keep them to himself. Although if they were going to be together she would just have to get used to seeing his friends, it just didn't have to be yet.

Harry and Ron were another issue. Ron would never in a million years accept Malfoy, Harry would probably try through gritted teeth. The whole parents thing was a thornier issues. One they practically avoided.

When he got home he would tell her about the things he heard. The Slytherins were unabashed gossips when it came down to it. Everyone was getting jobs or moving on with the next stages of their lives.

Hermione had to start considering what she was going to do. She wasn't sure that staying in this cottage and making strawberry desserts was a strictly an option that would sustain her in the longer term. She liked to think that it was, but she knew that in the longer term she needed more in her life in terms of a profession, even if she couldn't feel it now.

The future was bright any way she looked at it. And beside everyone's disapproval, she wasn't sure she would be happier. Happier than she ever thought she'd be.

"Pansy is getting married." Draco said after he returned from his lunch. "Some German family made an offer for her."

"Will she be moving to the continent then?" Hermione said. The idea of marriage was absurd for someone their age, but the purebloods liked to marry their kids off at the earliest opportunity. "Does she even know him?"

"I'm sure they've met."

"That is so disturbing." She said. "So they made an offer like she's a cow." She was a total and utter cow, but that was beside the point.

He didn't say anything. He was preparing fish for the oven. Which was fine with Hermione because it was a topic she found uncomfortable. She didn't want to talk about the stark difference between her beliefs and the pureblood beliefs. Along with his parents, it was an uncomfortable topic.

"Blaise is having a party on Friday." Draco said after a while. "Do you want to go?"

"Maybe next time." Hermione said. "You go." She wasn't ready to face his friends or his whole social structure. In a sense, she just wished she could freeze this time, she knew it would progress and the world would creep in, but she wasn't looking forward to it. She just wanted to keep things the way they were.

She decided to meet up with Harry in Friday at a pub in Diagon Alley. He was meeting Seamus, Neville and Dean there, so Hermione decided to join them.

It was a good night. The Draco subject was a bit awkward, but once they ignored that, it was fun to see them again. It has been a long time since she could just sit with her friends in a pub. Before the war actually. All of last year she was so stuck in her malaise to be able to enjoy being with her friends. But she was cured of that now. It was kind of ironic that her biggest detractor had turned out to be the cure she needed.

Draco came home around 2am and he was a bit drunk. Hermione snuggled into him as he got in bed. She had trouble sleeping these days if he wasn't there. With him home, she could relax.

He had a bit of a hangover the next day, which was the perfect excuse to stay in bed a bit longer. They made love most of the morning.

"How was the party?"

"Good." He said. "Typical thing. You probably wouldn't have liked it, but it was alright. I wanted to come home and shag you senseless the entire time."

"I missed you too." She said and smiled into his chest.

"It seems everyone has been dead curious about what we have been up to." He said. "I wouldn't have thought it required that much imagination."

"Its none of their business." She said.

"Apparently there were all sort of sordid tales. Wild speculation of the depraved things I've been doing to you."

They had their first outing as a couple. They met with Blaise and his girlfriend this week, Arabella. They met at a restaurant and everyone was on their best behaviour. In was still uncomfortable as far as Hermione was concerned. The boys talked about quidditch and the travel plans for Pansy's upcoming wedding for which Draco was naturally invited, along with most other Slytherins of their age.

Arabella wasn't unpleasant, but they had nothing in common to talk about. After the odd remark about the lovely autumn they were having, there wasn't much more to say.

Pansy's wedding was to be in Germany in a few weeks time. They were planning to go. Hermione was dreading it, it was a Slytherin event at its core. A pureblood society event. Full of rules and etiquette. Draco reassured her she'd be fine, but she it sat like a cold brink in her belly.

They started getting more invites drawing them out of their idyll. Hermione organised a dinner with Neville and Dean, which Hermione felt was the least venomous of the Gryffindors. It went fine. They were never going to be mates, but they could sit at the same table for an hour.

Draco took her to another evening with the Slytherins. A few more this time. They weren't embracing her like a long lost relative, but they were curious about her. Curious at the girl who had snagged Draco Malfoy.

Draco stayed on a little longer, while Hermione returned home around 10.30.

"My parents want to see me." He said as he started to get ready for bed.

"Are you going to go?" Hermione asked. She felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"I should." He said. "They just want to talk. They have invited me for lunch tomorrow. You can come if you want."

The thought was as appealing as her last visit to Malfoy Manor. In fact, she might actually prefer that visit to sitting through lunch with his parents.

"They didn't invite me, did they?" She said.

"Not expressly." He said. She couldn't help it, but it hurt.

"Do you think its a good idea to go?" She said.

"What harm can it do? They will do their little spiel, probably cut off my money, blah, blah, blah."

"Is that going to be a problem?" She said.

"No, Snape left enough in his emergency account to last a long time." Draco said folding away his clothes. He was meticulous in that regard.

"Don't worry." He said as he got into bed. "I've seen this coming, probably need to get it over with. Its probably best that you stay here, they are likely to say some biting things."

"Alright. I can come if you want, I can handle a few acerbic remarks about me, I used to have you as a nemesis, remember." She could feel him smiling in the dark.

They snuggled for a while and he fell asleep pretty quickly. She could sense in his breathing as he slipped away into sleep. She still held him tight. Needing his warmth.

She couldn't sleep that night. She was not excited about this meeting.

She lay in bed and watched him dress for his meeting with his parents. She still felt queasy about it.

"Its best that I go alone." He said looking at her through the mirror. "You being there might actually prolong the whole process. They might actually have the manners to not say what they want to in front of you and spend the entire time making you as uncomfortable as they possibly could in a vain attempt to make you reconsider this relationship. I don't want you to go through that."

Hermione nodded.

"Don't worry. I will be back after a couple of hours." He said and came over to sit on the bed by her. He kissed her. "Have some lunch and a nice bath and I'll be back."

Hermione held his hand until it stretched too far. He smiled and slipped his hand out of her grasp.

She didn't have a bath. She made herself a sandwich and waited in the kitchen for him to come back. She tried to image all the things they would say about her. About how inappropriate she was.

Two hours passed slowly. He didn't come back. He didn't come back after six hours either. She was sick with worry. She paced around the house endlessly. She lay in bed and waited throughout the night, but he never came.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Hermione waited two more days before she accepted that he wasn't just waylaid. All sorts of dreadful things went through her head.

She tried owling a note to him, but it came back unopened.

Finally she sent a note to Harry. He came right away. He was dressed in his Auror training robes. He was obviously at the Ministry when he got her note.

"He's gone." Hermione said. "And he hasn't come back. He went to see his parents and he didn't come back, he said he would."

"Calm down, Mione." Harry said. "Tell me what happened."

Hermione told him as they stood in the kitchen.

"I don't know what to do." She said. She couldn't help but burst into tears. "I am worried that they've done something to him."

"Nott works in my department." Harry said. "I will ask him to check in with the Malfoys. Please don't cry, Mione, I'm sure it will be fine."

She knew him well enough to know that he didn't completely believe what he was saying. Which only made her feel worse because it confirmed what she dreaded, that thing were probably not going to be fine. Right now she wanted hope, but there was nothing concrete to pin it on.

"Can he go now?" Hermione asked.

"I'm pretty sure he will wait until tonight." Harry said.

Hermione wringed her hands. She didn't know what to do with herself. Harry made her a cup of tea.

"So this is where you've been?" Harry said when he sat down at the table.

Hermione nodded.

"With him?"

She nodded again.

"And you two were here together, as a couple?"

"Yes, Harry." She said with annoyance.

"Its just so odd."

"It wasn't odd, it was lovely." Hermione said. "Perfect."

"This is Malfoy we're talking about." Harry needed to reconfirm.

"He said he'd be right back, only be a few hours." Hermione said, her voice heavy with concern, "But its been days now."

Harry didn't say anything else. They both had a pretty good idea of what the Malfoys would think of her and of their relationship. She was pretty certain that they wouldn't hurt Draco, they had both risked their lives for him in the end, probably more times than anyone knew.

Harry just sat at the table and stirred his tea. Hermione knew there was an 'I told you so' in there somewhere, but she appreciated that he didn't voice it. Part of her was scolding herself enough as it was. She had put her faith in Draco Malfoy, which was on paper a really daft thing to do, but she couldn't believe it, not in her heart.

Harry left shortly afterwards, but promised to be back as soon as he heard anything. Hermione just sat and waited. There was nothing else she could think of doing. The house was supremely quiet, the only noise being the ticking of the clock in the next room. She felt like she had a hole in her chest, with every cell in her body stressed and worried. She was too upset to eat or even think of anything to do so she just sat and waited.

Harry came back in the evening and cooked some dinner, which Hermione couldn't stomach. She told him to go home, but he stayed. She retreated back to her bedroom as soon as dinner was over. She didn't want company, but she was also very tired. Bone tired. Things were fine in her dream, he was back and they were cooking in the kitchen, there were just these dark clouds gathering outside, but they were nice, warm and safe in the cottage. Waking up brought back the reality that he was gone and she was alone. She cried for hours.

Harry came to the cottage shortly after ten. She hadn't heard him leave, but she could hear him calling from downstairs and she made her way down.

"Did Nott see him?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, he did." Harry said. "Apparently they were all at a dinner at the Parkinsons last night."

"Draco too?"

Harry nodded. The news sunk in layers, first he was safe, second, he was not being held or tortured, he had seemingly slipped back into family life. He could have escaped from a dinner if he wanted to, which meant he wasn't trying. She tried to find some excuse for why he was toeing the line, something that said he was being forced, but she couldn't find anything to hang hope on.

"Draco was fine, Nott said. Not Imperio'd or anything. I'm sorry, Mione." Harry said as she began to cry. He embraced her and they stood there for a while. It cut really deep, but she tried to shrug it off, she hated being so weak in front of Harry. If she was going to blubber, she decided, she would do it alone.

She pulled back from Harry. "This was Snape's hideout." She said trying to blink back the tears forming in her eyes, and she could see Harry absorbing the news. "This is where they went after they left Hogwarts."

"Were they here to whole time?"

"For a while anyway." Hermione said with a shrug. "Nobody knew of it other than Snape, and then Draco. The Malfoys didn't even know about it. He left it to Draco when he died."

She knew Snape was a funny subject for Harry. His hate for Snape had evolved into something else after he died still trying to help the light side. Not something like her hate for Draco, but it had evolved. Funny how hate can evolve, she thought to herself. And it evolves into something deep too, not a light breeze friendship.

"It doesn't seem like him." Harry said.

"You should see the garden."

"I'm seen some of it on the way in."

"Apparently, it was Snape's little escape from his troubles."

Harry walked out the back door into the garden. It was still really lush, but it was retreating into autumn colours.

"My mother would have loved this garden." Harry said. "She loved gardens."

Hermione didn't know what to say about that. Harry stood there in the garden for a while. Talking of people they'd lost wasn't something she wanted right now. Anything other than loss. She was so full of loss, she couldn't take on any more.

"You should come stay at the Burrows." Harry said.

Hermione refused. She wasn't leaving, not when there was still a chance that he might come back.

Harry had to return to work. Being as he'd only been there a few months, he could take any time off. Hermione was relieved when he went. She was immensely tiring trying to put on a brave face for him. She went back to bed.

Harry came every evening. Hermione tried to tell him not to, but he wouldn't listen. He worked during the day. She wondered what he life would have been like with Draco if he worked. Coming home in the evenings, waiting all day for him to come home and being happy to see him every evening. It was a morbid fantasy, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Fantasy was better than reality right now.

A few days later, she got a knock on the door. Her heart soared everything she heard a noise, but her mind soon reminded her that Draco wouldn't knock. But hope against hope was hard to kill, it seemed.

It wasn't him though, it was Blaise Zabini at the door. Not someone she remotely expected, but she also knew he wouldn't be here out of concern for her, he was there for a reason. And it would be the person that Draco would send.

Zabini stepped inside the small cottage and looked around with distaste.

"Draco sent me." He said finally. "He has a message about being remiss in his obligations and apologises for not being able to continue his involvement with you." He was studying her for a reaction.

"You can keep the cottage. Draco has signed over the deed to you." He continued in a sharp, breezy voice. Hermione was gritting her teeth because she refused to show this arsehole any reaction. "If you should need anything, need money, you can apply to Abbotsways, they are the Malfoy solicitors."

"I don't need anything." Hermione said, mustering all her composure. She knew she was being bought off with the cottage and whatever money they were offering her. She would have thought this was coming from the parents, but the fact that it was Zabini standing here meant that this message was coming from him.

With that, Zabini bowed his head slightly and said goodbye. All very formal. She was surprised how formal the buying off process was. She wondered of the formally was the norm for all types of buy offs or whether it was exclusive to romantic dalliances. She wanted to scream at Blaise, hit him, slam the door in his face and ask him what it was like to be the scum of the earth. But she refused to give him the satisfaction because she suspected that was what he was hoping for. Instead she showed him to the door and closed it promptly as soon as he stepped through.

But as soon as she heard him apparate away, she sunk down to the floor. She felt like she had been stabbed, it hurt so much. She body wracked with sobs, she needed to get them over with before Harry came back.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Summer was fleeting away and Hermione felt like her joy was fleeting with it. Days dragged on, one after the other, and nothing changed. He didn't come back, nor did she hear from him. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't really manage to sort herself enough to leave the house, but she did get out of bed every day. She cleaned up and tidied the place.

It certainly didn't feel like her cottage even though he had given it to her. Every corner had memories that hurt. Harry started staying over less and less. She did a good job convincing him that she was fine.

She had to formulate a plan, she decided. She had to get a life, but she just felt so raw, like she didn't have any skin left. She tried to not think of him, purposefully shoving away the thoughts that incessantly cropped up.

Harry invited her out, but she didn't want to face people. Part of her was just embarrassed, part of her didn't want to experience their sympathy. She also avoided her parents. Her mum would know immediately that something was wrong and she didn't want to have to relay the whole story. It would mean facing the story first off.

So she stayed in the cottage. She was going to leave one day, she just wasn't ready. She didn't want the cottage. It felt like blood money. It felt wrong.

Harry came by around four in the afternoon, which was early by his standards. She could tell right away that something was wrong, the minute she opened the door. Harry was avoiding her eyes as he stepped inside.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione said, she braced herself because she knew that this was going to hurt. How could it not, any news would hurt at this point.

"He's getting married." Harry said.

Hermione just stared at him as she absorbed the news.

"Today." Harry said. "I saw them down at the registrars office. I think the ceremony has already happened. I'm sorry Mione."

Hermione didn't know where to look, or how to hold herself. It just hurt. Everything hurt. It was the finality of her rejection and she felt every nuisance of its sting.

"Who?" She managed with a croak.

"Astoria Greengrass, I think that's who it was." Harry said. "Some Slytherin girl."

"Pureblood." Hermione said. Harry didn't say anything.

"Sit down, Mione." Harry said and grabbed her arm. He led her into the kitchen and sat her down in a chair.

She couldn't stop the tears from flowing now that the initial shock was passing.

"I'm so sorry, Mione." Harry said. "He's a shit. A complete shit."

Harry busied himself around the kitchen while she cried. He tried to give her a hug, but she didn't want it. He made dinner and he ate it. She couldn't stomach food at the moment.

"You need to eat." Harry said. "You're skin and bones."

Probably a topic she couldn't care less about at that moment.

"Then maybe a drink." Harry said. He walked out and came back with a bottle of firewhiskey. "I think this is left over from Snape's stash."

He poured a drink for her and for himself. She took it, anything to make herself feel better. And it did for a little while as she could focus on the burn as it went down. But it wasn't enough, the tears soon started again and she couldn't stop sobbing.

Harry led her upstairs. "Best you go upstairs." He said. "Sleep and you'll feel better."

"I'm not going to feel better." Hermione said. "How do you feel better from something like this?"

"I don't know Mione, time passes and you'll feel better."

He sat her down on the bed.

"Do you think he did this to me?" She said. "On purpose. He said once that he'd take everything I cared about away from me. And he has. Was this all a sham so he could hurt me?"

"I don't know, Mione. That is pretty extreme even for him."

"Is it?"

"Yes." Harry said. "He just chickened out and ran. Isn't that what he's always done?"

"I loved him, Harry." She sobbed.

"I know."

"I don't know what to do now."

"It will be fine."

"When will it be fine?" She said with anger. Harry didn't say anything, but just sat down and hugged her. He pulled her down in the bed and lay there with her as she sobbed.

She had never felt so devastated in her life. There had been moments that were really close, awful moments, but nothing that cut so personally. There was Dumbledore's death, but her main focus had been Harry and how he was feeling.

She felt so cold and bleak, and Harry's warmth was a life saver. His shirt was drenched with her tears. He was warm and he was there. He would always be there. She snuggled closer to him.

He shushed her and told her that everything would be alright and lying there encircled by his arms she felt like maybe it would. She felt so empty, so desperate for warmth, she turned to him and kissed him. He didn't respond at first, but his lips softened and she felt warmth spread throughout her cold being. She wanted more, wanted a deeper kiss and he let her. He tasted lovely. He tasted like security and constancy, and all the things she wanted.

She snuck her hand under his tear stained shirt and felt the skin of his abdomen and chest. The auror training was obviously challenging because his body was built for strength. And she needed more. Her hand snuck lower and cupped him as he gasped.

He hesitated for a second, but relented as she slid her body on top of his. She could feel his resistance fall as the kiss deepened. His hands were on her backside and she felt heat coursing through her body. Then he rolled her over and on top of her. She could feel his hardness between her thighs and her body was screaming for more. She tried to pull him closer, but his clothes were in the way. She tugged the sodden shirt off and was rewarded by the feel of his skin against hers.

But it wasn't enough, she needed him inside her. He stroked her breast as she struggled to get his pants off. She felt victorious when he was free. She grabbed for him as she felt him enter her. She needed to feel him all the way inside her and she bucked up as he started to move in and out of her. She felt him getting closer to his release and her body seemed to anticipate it. Her release was massive, she suspected she screamed but she wasn't sure.

And then she slept.

He was still holding her when she woke up in the morning. He was warm and Hermione felt safe in his arms. Part of her mind was screaming at her for what she'd done, but she calmly decided that she was not going to feel awkward about this. She loved Harry, always had, and if nothing else she really, really needed him last night. She wasn't in love with him and he wasn't in love with her. And she prayed that this wasn't going to destroy their friendship. A loss she could seriously not handle.

He woke up shortly after and smiled before getting out of bed. Hermione slyly marvelled at how beautiful his body was. She put on some old PJs and followed him downstairs.

"I'll make tea." He said.

It was a cold morning, a true autumn morning. It felt like a season change. Maybe that was right, maybe the season had officially changed. The close of one season and the start of another. She still hurt, but the raw edge of it was quite as raw.

They went outside and had their tea on the door step.

"I think he build this garden for my mother." Harry said and put a blanket around them.

Hermione didn't know what to say. It was a very romantic gesture if he did. A hopeless romantic gesture. Romance was just not something she saw in Snape, but she wasn't going to point that out. Maybe everyone had a bit of romance in them, maybe even a shit like Draco.

"About last night.." She started.

"It was what it was." Harry interrupted.

Hermione didn't know what to say.

"I love you, Mione, and if you need something and its in my power to give it to you, I will." He said.

She knew then that it would end there and that there wouldn't be any awkwardness. She needed him and he was there. She probably would have done the same. It was nice to know that their friendship would fare through everything.

"Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you?" She said. She meant it completely, why couldn't she have fallen in love with something who would be there one hundred percent through thick and thin.

Harry smiled.

"You know, maybe it was better that he did this on purpose." Harry said.

"Who, Draco?"

"Maybe it is better for you to think of his as enjoying his cold victory off in his mansion somewhere. Maybe that is better than thinking is in love with you and will spend the rest of his life hating himself for being too weak to have the life he wants. "

Hermione didn't say anything, she just watched her toes. She considered what Harry was saying. Was she better off with him feeling victorious over beating her? Loss sucked in every conceivable capacity. It must be much worse if you brought it on yourself. If she could wish for him, would she want him to suffer? It would be so much easier to walk away from this if he didn't feel anything. This wasn't a game for her any more. If he was playing games, he could keep it. She was done.

"Let's not tell Ron...ever." Harry said and she laughed. It was the first laugh she'd had in a while. Ron would definitely not understand what happened last night.

"You should come stay at the Burrow." Harry said. Hermione thought about it for a second then agreed.

"Do you think Bill and Fleur would like the cottage?" She asked. Fleur was expecting their first child.

"I think they would love it." Harry said. "In fact, I think Fleur would probably dedicate a holiday to you."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Five Years Later

Hermione sat in her office. It was a tiny space full with stacks of parchment referring to the legal affairs she managed for mostly unfortunate and under-represented creatures. Sometimes people, but mostly she represented creatures who got stuck in the wizard world's bureaucracy and archaic laws. Once she left school and her ill fated affair with Draco Malfoy behind, she threw herself into elf liberation activities. Eventually that lead to studying law and her little law firm. The pay was next to atrocious, but she loved it.

She had made herself a nuisance within the Ministry, some actually turned the other way when they saw her coming. Over time her tactics had mellowed a little, but she still lobbied hard to the rights and protection of magical creatures who had difficulty to do so for themselves.

Her studies were supported by Bill and Fleur actually buying the cottage from her. She now had another little cottage which she had moved into a couple of years ago after finishing her studies. She had pretty much lived at the Burrow before that.

She and Harry never mentioned the night of Draco's wedding to anyone. And there was never a repeat. He was now in the process of courting Ginny who had recently returned from a stint in Romania. Ron was dating Luna of all people. A couple she would have thought had nothing in common, but then neither did she and Draco.

She dated sometimes, but she felt no rush getting into a relationship or being pushed into marriage. Molly had tried on a few occasions. Hermione had gotten badly burnt giving her all into a relationship, she was a little shy in that department. But she dabbled a bit here and there.

She only saw Draco a handful of times. He acted like he barely saw her and as time progressed she began to notice him less and less whenever they crossed paths. She wasn't particularly bitter anymore, Harry was right, in time, it just started to hurt less. There were so many better things to focus ones time on.

She loved her life. She loved her job. She loved that she could help people and things who had no one else to turn to. She loved the fight. She didn't always win, but the technocrats were a little more conscious now because they knew she would be on their case if they were insensitive, inconsiderate or abusive.

There were a lot of people who wished she'd just go away. The purebloods didn't like their society and rules messed with, particularly when they lost advantage from it, but she didn't care.

The wizard society was very stratified. She had little to do with the elite, they kept to themselves. As Draco was one of them, she saw precious little of him and there was no reason for them to converse in the normal course of things. The bureaucrats and technocrats sat inbetween the elite and the unsavouries such as herself.

Her current case was working her late into the night. Some developer wanted to build a village that encroached on centaur land over in the East Counties. She was representing the centaurs with their claim to the land they occupied. The developers were less than happy, they threatened her with all sorts of thing including social exclusion and public humiliation. Fortunately for her she didn't care about any of these things, she cared about defending against injustice and she was going to win. The more that became evident, the more they threatened. It wasn't unusual, it was the normal course really.

Harry was proud of her, he was an Auror and they both defended others as part of that they do. Ron did the same, but his interest in Auroring was waning.

Hermione returned home from a long day. She had been working late into the night in the forest with the centaur representative. Centaurs were difficult to deal with as they had a purist attitude, meaning little scope for compromise. She was cold and tired. She hadn't intended on staying after dark, but it just took so long to get a consensus from them.

She was dying for a warm bath and a nice glass of wine. She actually had three house elves. Little creatures who had nowhere else to go. They still wanted to serve her in their typical capacity, so she let them, but with the strict proviso that they could come and go as they pleased, and they had to receive payment for their work.

She didn't see them that often, they liked to keep themselves out of sight. She had stopped fighting the things that were part of their nature and focused instead on the things that made an improvement in their lives. They had warm clothes at least.

Only the kitchen in her cottage was lit when she got back. Dinner was sitting on the stove for her under a warming spell. She couldn't wait to tuck into the beef stew, it smelled like heaven, but she had to clean up. She actually had chunks of forest stuck in her hair.

She had a warm shower and felt the day and its worries wash away. She wrapped a towel around her and walked into her bedroom. She felt a moment of hesitation as she stepped into her dark bedroom. Something was wrong. She scanned the room and saw a flash of blond hair sitting in her chair.

The lights came on and Draco Malfoy was sitting in her bed room. What? How? How long had he been there? Why?

"Granger." He said.

"Malfoy." She returned. "You're in my bedroom, please leave."

"No."

"No?" She said. "I have to change, please leave."

"You don't exactly have anything I haven't seen before."

"Leave or I will hex your balls off." She stated through gritted teeth.

"Fine." He said and got up. He walked out of the room leaving her to stare after him. What in the world could this mean? Why was he in her house, sitting in the dark listening to her in the shower? She shuddered a bit. Then dressed as quickly as she could in case he decided to walk in again.

She hoped he'd leave, but she found him in the kitchen eating her dinner.

"Hey, that's mine." She said.

"Your cooking has improved." He said.

"And I would like to eat it myself." She said. She was not going to get into a discussion around her cooking and help.

She grabbed the fork out of his hand and brought the plate over to the other side of the table. She was starving, but she wanted him gone.

"What do you want?" She said and sat down in front of her plate. Maybe if she started eating without offering him anything, maybe he would take the hint and leave.

He didn't say anything, instead he got up and rifled through her cupboards.

"What have we got here?" He asked as she came across her wine stash. "Really, this stuff could almost be classified as vinegar."

"Well if my wine cellar is not up to your standards, you are more than welcome to seek out another one somewhere else."

He uncorked a bottle and poured two glasses. He placed one in front of her and sat down across the table with the other. He winced as he drank it and Hermione gave him a look that communicated exactly how excited she was about his unwelcome visit.

She started eating her dinner. She was not going to be polite and wait for him to leave. He was not welcome and she was not going to suffer because of his visit.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"What do you want?" She ignored his question.

"As always the epitome of charm and eloquence." He said.

"Well this was a lovely little visit." She said with falsity. "But I am dead beat, you should probably be on your way. Tough day, you know, for us who work."

He watched her as he twisted the wineglass around in his fingers. He didn't look any different at all. His hair was perhaps a little better kept than when she'd seen him last, a little shorter. He was a father now, he had a baby and a wife waiting for him at home. What the hell was he doing here?

"Congratulations on your son." She said after a while. She couldn't think of anything else to say. "You have it all now. The ideal pureblood life."

He stool screeched as he stood up. He was around to her side of the table in a flash, just about as fast as she had her fork up pressed into his neck.

This felt all too familiar. She was standing right in her face, intimidating her physically. They had been here so many times before. Except they were kids then.

"I am not doing this." She said. "Whatever game you're playing, I'm not a part of it."

Neither of them moved.

"I want you to leave now." She said trying to make her voice even. "We are not kids anymore and we are not going to play some stupid one up-manship." She took a step back and he stepped forward to fill any gap she was trying to put between them.

It was an aggressive act. He was goading her and she had no idea why. She stared at him trying to get some idea what was going on in that pretty head of his.

Then he kissed her. She struggled, but he held her tight. Her mind was screaming at her to stop this. This was every kind of wrong, except for her body that had been aching for this kiss for such a long time. But she could not give in, she would absolutely not play any more mind-fuck games with him.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Hermione pushed him away.

"I want you to leave now." She said forcefully. That kiss had felt a little too real for her comfort. "You can't just come in here and do that. You left, now stay gone."

"No." He said.

"What? What do you mean no?" She challenged. "This is my house, you're not welcome."

"I could buy your mortgage in a heartbeat." He said.

"That is not the point." She screamed. "The point is, you have to have some decency and comply when people ask you to leave their homes." She wandered off leaving him in the kitchen.

"I know you want me, Granger. I could feel it." He called after her.

"What I want is for you to go home." She yelled back. "Home to your wife and child."

She could hear that he was following her. She locked herself in the bathroom.

"Come on Granger, come out." He said. "We need to have a chat. And when I say chat I prefer the less coherent version in your bed over here."

Her jaw dropped with the audacity of him. That he would even assume that she would hop into bed with him. She knew that part of him was joking, while the other part was probably dead serious.

"I am not coming out. I want you to leave or I will call Harry."

"Fine, Granger, but I will be back tomorrow." She listened to him leave and stayed put in case he was fooling her. There wasn't any noises for a long time and after what seemed an eternity, she emerged from her bathroom to a dark and silent house. He was gone and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She was completely confused, not at all sure what had just happened. If he had turned up for the reason of telling her exactly why he walked away without so much as a goodbye, she wasn't particularly interested in hearing it.

What did concern her was him saying he'd be back. She considered reinforcing her wards, but he was too good at getting past them for her to bother. Her lips still flared with heat from where he kissed her. One thing was sure, she wasn't immune to him. His touch still burned.

Her house was lit up when she got home from work the next day. She had been dreading leaving work the entire day and she had been right. Someone was obviously in her house and it didn't take a lot of guessing who. Well, she steelied herself, if he needs to justify to her what he did, then let him. Then she can show him the door and be done with it. She wasn't weak, she could stand by and let him do whatever he needed to do. It wasn't going to kill her and this was a chance to prove to herself that she was truly over him. Even if his kisses were kind of spectacular. That was neither here nor there.

He was cooking when she walked in the door. He had his outer robes off and was standing around in her kitchen in a crisp white shirt. Did he never wear anything else?

"I see you have made yourself comfortable." She said tersely.

"I took the opportunity to stock your little wine store." He said. "You can thank me later."

"Hold your breath."

"It has been a really long time since I've cooked." He said. "At home, I don't even know where the kitchen is. I am not used to being in a space where you can see from one end of the house to the other."

"Why exactly have you lowered yourself?"

"I wanted to see you." He said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She shot back.

She scooped up some food and put the plat down in front of her. She wanted to say she wasn't hungry, but she was starving. She hadn't eaten anything that day.

"Eat." He ordered. Hermione bristled at being told what to do, but her stomach was grumbling.

She sat down and ate, but she wasn't happy about it. He ate too and the kitchen was completely silent for a while other than the noises of cutlery on plates. The wine was better quality. It was delicious and she could easily have another couple of glasses, which under the circumstances was not a good idea.

"You can't just help yourself to my house." She said when she was finished. "You keep this up and I've going to report you."

"For what, cooking you dinner?"

"I'm serious." She said.

"I am too."

"Serious about what exactly? You haven't said what you want."

"I just want a chance to get reacquainted."

"You must be joking." Hermione said. "And if you some deluded reason you aren't, then no."

"Come on Granger, lets be adult about this. We don't need to go down the less mature route where I kidnap you and shag you senseless on some remote island somewhere."

"You wouldn't dare."

"History is kind of on my side."

Hermione wasn't sure what to say. She tried to say something, but it didn't come out. Instead she ended up looking like a fish out of water.

"I'm not sleeping you with." She stated categorically.

"Why not? Its not like you have much else going for you."

"And I like it that way, thank you very much." She said. "And that is not the point. You can't just assume that I would just fall into bed with you because you turn up at my door step."

"I kind of hoped you would, but I can see that you will take a bit more convincing."

"Convincing?" She yelled. "Its not going to happen."

He was looking at her like she was challenging him. His eyes were positively glittering.

"You're married." She yelled. "Have that little fact escaped you? I have a duty to your wife and child."

"I am aware of my duties, much more than you will ever be." He snapped at her. "Would you like some port?"

"No."

"I always like a bit of port after dinner. I know its old fashioned, but some traditions are worth preserving." He said. He turned and poured himself a glass then walked past her into her sitting room. Hermione gritted her teeth in aggravation.

"Just make yourself at home." She said sarcastically.

"I already have." He said from the other room.

"How is your wife by the way?" She said as she walked into the sitting room.

"Fine I suppose." He said. "I am sure she would have let me know if she required anything."

"Sounds like a lovely marriage." Hermione said sarcastically.

Draco didn't say anything just drank his port. Hermione didn't really want to talk about his marriage, she just wanted to remind him of his situation. A situation he chose, by the way.

"My wife feels like she has completed her end of the bargain." He said after a while. "And I cannot argue with that."

"Bargain?" Hermione said before she could really help herself.

"She has produced an heir, which completes her responsibility."

"You really have the marriage you deserve." She said.

Draco watches his drink.

"I have a son." He said.

"Yes, I am aware. Congratulations. Your parents must be over the moon."

"Father is pleased. Mother is more excited but she is too drunk to get up the stairs most of the time."

She didn't really want to know about the goings on in the Malfoy house.

"Astoria is pursuing the life she wants, in which child rearing serves no part." He said, but there was no emotion in his voice. "Her maternal instincts are not strong."

"I'm sorry." Was all Hermione could think of saying.

"It is not important." He said.

How can that not be important, she wondered.

"I feel nothing." He said. "I was completely content with that."

Hermione didn't know what to say.

"And now I look at him, and I feel nothing." He said. "How can that be?"

There was nothing she could say. She grew irrationally angry.

"Well just grow up and love your kid." She spat at him. "You are so fucking spoilt. All of you. Couldn't you at least pretend that you're not completely dysfunctional."

He looked at her then.

"You're all fucking unbelievable." She yelled at him. "This is what you chose, so make the best of it. Be a man and front up for your own fucking kid."

"Please, don't hold back for my sake."

"I don't give a fuck about your sake." She continued. "You have brought someone else into your fuck up of a life. And don't even think of dragging me into it. Leave." She ordered. She stamped her foot for effect. She was furious and it wasn't just what he was just saying, but the complete destructiveness of him. Including everything he did to her and now he was going to do it to some little baby.

He stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab his robes.

"Don't come back." She spat at him.

"See you tomorrow, Granger."

She screamed with frustration as he closed the door behind him.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Draco was there when she got home the next day. Hermione sighed when she saw the lights on. She wasn't entirely sure what he was up to, but it was more than obvious that he wanted something. She would be all together better off without his daily visits, but she supposed that was better than being kidnapped. She wouldn't put it past him. He would probably like a new little war between them, it would give him an excuse to do what he wants.

No, if she was grown up, he would have to be too, so she wasn't going to devolve this into a battle ground like they had before. She had a feeling it was a fine line with him, but she was not going to cross it and give him an excuse. Part of her wanted to win so bad she could taste it, because victory was never as sweet as it was against him, but she would be grown up and not indulge such immature instincts.

She could hear the TV on when she walked in the door. He was watching a soap opera.

"I accidentally turn this thing on." He said. "Now I can't turn it off. You actually watch this guff."

"No, not that guff exactly." She said and turned it off.

"I thought we could go out for dinner." He said.

"No."

"Why not?" He said with a hint of annoyance.

"Oh, I don't know." She said. "Maybe because I don't want to. Maybe I don't want to spend the night at a table with you because you're unbelievably annoying and oh yes, there was something else, oh you're married. I am not going to go out to dinner with a married man."

Draco harrumphed. "Fine, I guess we'll stay in. You're a cheap date."

"I am not your date." She said and walked into the kitchen. She needed a drink. She had a look in the wine cupboard, which had been completely replaced with his expensive wines.

"Where are my wines?"

"You can't drink that crap."

"I like that crap." She said and picked a bottle at random. "The fact that its my crap makes it particularly appealing."

"You're only 24 and you're like an old spinster already."

"What do you want?" Hermione tried again with exasperation.

"Well, if I'm completely honest, I want to go upstairs and shag." He said.

Hermione took a big gulp of the wine. It was exquisite. Much too nice for chugging down, but she didn't care. She needed support if she was going to keep herself from strangling him. I'm a grown up, she kept on chanting in her head.

"We did once, remember." She said. "And then you left."

"You can't hold a grudge forever."

"I really can." She said. "I am exceedingly good at it."

He sat down on a chair and smiled at her, he placed his hands behind his head and looked much too comfortable.

"I should have just kidnapped you, we'd be well into the shagging by now."

"You're a pig."

"I didn't think that was ever in question."

"For the record, I am never going to sleep with you." She said. "The idea of it revolts me."

"Really?" He said smiling. "I'm not sure that is completely true."

"Oh its true."

"If that's the case, why don't you come over here and kiss me. Prove that you find me revolting, because I think I set your tight little body on fire."

"Fuck you." She said. She knew she was overreacting a bit because he was right. She completely melted when he kissed her, annoying as that little fact was. Well, that was completely inconsequential.

She busied herself with cooking dinner. Luckily she only had enough for one. Ahh, what a shame.

He watched her as she cooked her meal, then ate most of it when it was ready.

After dinner they finished the bottle of wine, then Hermione went to bed, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was not invited. He stayed downstairs for a while. Hermione heard the TV come on and then off again an hour or so later.

Hermione wasn't really sure how she felt about Draco spending time at her house. He wasn't welcome by any stretch, but it was nice to have someone to talk to even if it was repeatedly asking them to leave. She did ok on her own, but it was a bit lonely. Not that loneliness was an excuse to get involved with someone like Malfoy.

It wasn't really a surprise that he was there again when she got home. He was in the kitchen, drinking wine. Hermione dropped her briefcase on the floor as she shrugged off her robes.

"You're going to have to start paying rent if you are going to spend every day here."

"Ok."

"I was kidding." She said. "You do not live here. Just so you understand that."

Then she heard a gurgle, which was not something she heard in her house. She looked over at the sound and saw a baby sitting on a blanket in the middle of her kitchen floor. A blond little thing.

"Meet Scorpius." Draco said.

Hermione just stared at the lump sitting on the floor. He had something in his hand that he was shaking around. It felt strange looking at the miniature human. Babies were not a common thing, there hadn't been any in her family since her and the only ones she'd seen was Fleur's, which was only once or twice in passing. She couldn't remember actually ever holding one. She was not the one to rush in as soon as a baby appeared.

He looked like a fat little doll that moved.

Hermione just stared at it, while Draco shoved a glass of wine in her hand. It was weird to think that the little lump would grow up to be a person. A Malfoy no less.

She tore her eyes away. This was not a sight she had expected when she walked through the door.

"He needs to meet people." Draco said looking at him. "I am pretty sure he thinks he's an elf."

"So you brought him here?"

"You qualify as a person."

"Well, I suppose that's a complement coming from you."

"What do you want to eat?" Draco said. "You can feed him if you want. He eats now, apparently."

"He's not an animal at the zoo." Hermione chided. "You really are the worst parent."

"It is not a strength amongst Malfoy men." Draco said. "And he is doubly cursed because his mother has absolutely no interest in him. I, at least, had my mother."

"Well, you're his parent, you need to front up for him."

"I am." Draco said with seriousness. She sensed some anger and she wasn't sure if it was directed at him or at her, or something else that was going on in his life. Maybe the cold fish of a woman he married.

Draco cooked and Hermione just stood there with her gaze continually slipping to the lump on the floor.

They sat down the food was ready. Draco lifted the lump up on the table blanket and all. He sat on the table between them.

"How old is he?" Hermione asked.

"Six months." Draco said and handed him a cracker which he sucked on until it disintegrated.

"I can't really imagine you being a parent." Hermione said. "It is so bizarre."

Draco didn't say anything, just focused on his food. Hermione wondered about what he had said, the fact that he didn't feel anything. She had always thought that feeling for ones child were just automatic.

Draco finished eating.

"I have to go." He said. "I will be back in an hour or two."

Draco leaving, that was new. He should head back to his real life. He walked out and put his robe on. Wait.

"Don't you leave your baby here." She yelled.

"He'll be fine. Just give him another cracker." Draco said.

"I am not...", she heard the crack of his apparition, "babysitting for you."

"Damn it, you useless piece of turd." She yelled at the empty space. She had not experience with babies, and she didn't really want to. Particularly this one.

"How'd you get such a stupid name?" She asked it.

It gurgled and banged its cracker on the table top until a chip broke off. He stared at the broken piece like something unexpected had happened.

How dare he do this to her? Does he just leave him baby with random people? It was looking at her now. What was she supposed to do? She smiled at it and it smiled back. Ok, that was freaky.

She didn't know what to do. So they just sat there for a while. What if it needed something, what was she supposed to do? She knew nothing of babies and their needs, or even how to tell it needed something. She would completely panic if it started crying.

Finally she grabbed the lump and held it out in front of her. It was staring at her. Gosh, he was heavy. She had no idea what to do, but she ended up in the living room watching TV. She put him in her lap and he fell asleep pretty much immediately. He was warm like a hot water bottle in her lap.

Eventually she put him down on the couch beside her and put a blanket on him. She thought he looked just like a little doll. Long lashes resting on the chubby milky white cheeks. She mused that a Malfoy could ever look so cute.

Well, by the state of him, he wasn't being starved.

She fell asleep before long. She'd turned down the sound of the TV so it wouldn't disturb the baby, but the quiet out her right to sleep too.

She woke up with Draco nudging her.

"Go upstairs." He said. "I'm taking him home now."

"I am not your babysitter." Hermione croaked.

"Of course not. I have a team of elves for that." He said. "Just thought you should get to know each other."

"There is no reason for us to get to know each other." She said.

He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Urgh." She said and wiped the kiss of her head. How dare he? He took advantage of her sleepiness.

"Go upstairs." He ordered.

"Fine." She said with annoyance, because she was completely drowsy with sleep, but still hated being told what to do by him. He so had no right.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Hermione was angry the next day. She was angry that he was coming around. She was angry that he brought his baby around, and that he left him in her care without consulting her. She didn't know what was going on and she didn't know why she was putting up with it. He came around, he hit on her and then refused to leave when she asked him to. And she didn't understand what he wanted, why bring his baby around? So they can get acquitted, for what possible reason?

Her anger didn't dissipate throughout the day. Whatever it was he was doing, he had successfully lodged himself in her head. He had gift for that. She wasn't going to put up with his evasive answers to her questions. She had asked him time and again what he wanted, and he hadn't given her a straight answer.

What she couldn't understand was why she was being so passive about it. Actually she did, she wanted answers. But she was done waiting and now he was going to answer for what he'd done to her. She prepared strategies in her mind. They were going to have a show down and he was not going to squirm out of it. If he ran, then he ran and that would be the end of it. The serious end.

As usual he was there when she got home. In her house as he was every evening.

She marched up to him and pushed him as hard as she could.

"Why are you here?" She yelled.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." He said and straightened himself.

"I am not putting up with this anymore." She demanded. "Why are you here?"

"I thought that was obvious." He said. "Do you want some wine?"

"No and no." She said. "Explain it to me."

He poured a glass of wine for her, put the bottle back on the counter before taking the wine glass and holding it out to her.

She shook her head. She was not taking the glass from him.

"Fine." He said and put it down. "I want to be with you."

"So you just waltz in and occupy my kitchen?"

"We work together." He said. "You know we do. We both know we do."

"Really?" She said. "Because I remember you walking out with a brief 'I'll be back'. Was that you wanting to be with me?"

"No."

"So you lied?"

"No." He said. "I fully intended to be back when I said it."

"So why didn't you come back?"

"Because I didn't _want_ to be with you."

That hurt. This was digging up the old wounds and now they were just as raw as they were five years ago.

"Did you leave to hurt me?" She said quietly. It felt good to voice the question that had been sitting in her head for so many years. This was something she had needed to ask for a long time. "Was it some kind of game?"

He looked at her. "I didn't intend for things to develop as they did. Things got out of hand."

"Out of hand?" She yelled.

"I didn't mean for a relationship to develop like it did."

"You just accidentally fell into it? Is that how it went? And what, you came to your senses?"

He didn't say anything. "I didn't come back, because things were going too far. I'd known it, but I just couldn't help myself."

"You are unbelievable." She said.

"I didn't want to be beholden to you like I was. Your grip on me was so complete." He said. "I was too young to deal with it."

"So you sent Blaise to deal with it." She said. "That was a shitty thing to do. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?"

"Would it have hurt any less if you heard it from me?" Draco said. "I am not sure I would have been able to."

"You ripped me apart." Hermione said. Hermione noticed that somehow during this conversation, he had reverted to being the person she had loved in her mind, instead of the annoying person she despised that he had been when she walked in the door. She had seen them as two completely different people up to this point.

"I can't be sorry for that." He said. "It couldn't have gone any other way. I was nineteen and I didn't want to be in love."

It was a bit of a shock hearing him say he had been in love with her. She remembered Harry's words about her being better off if he hadn't cared for her. She wondered if he suffered or if he felt nothing now because he was avoiding it.

"So you married your pureblood princess." She stated with bitterness. "It doesn't seem like that worked out exactly how you planned."

"That's not true." He said. "I got exactly what I bargained for."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because things changed." He said. "It wasn't enough."

Hermione didn't know how to word her next question.

"So what changed?" She finally said.

"Scorpius happened." He said. "And then it wasn't enough. He needs more."

"So you are looking for someone to take care of your son?"

He didn't answer for a second. "Partially."

Hermione was waiting for him to continue. She wasn't sure how she felt. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but equally she wasn't surprised. By nature, he used whatever means he saw to achieve his means.

"And you think I would be a good mother."

"I need to be a better father, and for that, I need you."

Hermione was struggling to get a handle on what he was saying. Thoughts were bouncing around her head when she heard the door open.

"Mione?" She heard Harry call. She didn't know what to do. She still had so many questions and she had just managed to get him to talk. It was probably the worst time Harry could have walked in the door.

Harry walked into the kitchen and froze.

"Hi Harry." Hermione said.

Harry was struggling to say something. He was obviously confused as to the scene he had just walked in on.

"Potter." Draco said in greeting.

"Malfoy." Harry said. He looked at Hermione questioningly.

"Malfoy was just leaving." She said.

Draco gulped his wine and grabbed his robes.

"I will see you tomorrow." He said before walking to the door and apparating away.

"Tomorrow?" Harry said when they were alone. "Are you seeing him now?"

"No." Hermione said defensively. Then more defeated, she added, "He has been coming around for a few nights."

"To do what?" Harry said. "You're not seeing him are you?"

"No." She said. "Well seeing him in the sense that he comes around and refuses to leave until I go to bed. And he does not join me, thank you very much."

"Well, get rid of him. What does he want?"

"He wants to get back together, apparently."

"You have got to be joking." Harry said. "Why, so he can leave you a total mess again?"

Hermione rubbed her forehead.

"You cannot get back together with him." Harry pleaded.

"I'm not."

"He will just use you."

"I know, Harry." She said. "I haven't forgotten what he did. And as it turns out, he's not particularly sorry."

"What was his excuse?"

"He didn't want to be with me, but I had my hooks into him."

"Oh, charming." Harry said. "He is missing the hooks is he?"

"Something like that."

"Mione, promise me, you won't let him walk all over you."

"I promise, Harry." She said. "Believe me, I learnt my lesson."

That seemed to end the conversation and now Harry looked uncomfortable. The little scene with finding the three of them staring at each other had left a mark that wasn't going away.

"I have to go." Harry said. "I am having some drinks around at my place on Saturday. I came to invite you. Please come."

"I will." She promised.

Harry said goodbye and Hermione collapsed into a seat. The evening had zapped all her energy and she needed comfort. She decided she needed a bath and then to sit for an hour or two and watch something completely brainless on the box.

She went upstairs and ran a bath. She wasn't sure if she felt better or worse after her confrontation with Draco. He had been in love with her, she recalled him saying. That was something she had grown to doubt over the years, but he had plainly stated it. And now he wanted to be with her, in order to 'be a better father'. What did that even mean? Was that a valid reason to be in a relationship?

Slytherins never did anything if they didn't stand to gain. The fact that he was looking to gain something sat badly in her. And lets not forget, she told herself, that he had a habit of leaving when things didn't suit him. And he didn't have the decency to apologise. She wanted him to squirm on his knees, pleading for forgiveness with tears running down his eyes. Although she knew that was not even in the realm of possibility in terms of actions Draco Malfoy would do. He would probably rather cut off his own arm. He was definitely one to cut off his nose to spite his face.

She tried to get the whirling thought out of her head. She was tired of thinking about this, about him. Her life was so much more serene before she found him sitting in her bedroom. There is a real upside to boring.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Hermione sat at work the next day and wondered what the hell she was going to do about the Draco situation. He wanted to be with her. She didn't have time to specify in what capacity, but she wasn't entirely sure that was pertinent at the moment.

He had walked out and had in the process hurt her so completely. She wasn't sure there was a comeback from that. She couldn't just set that aside and all was forgiven. Not to mention the road they had travelled previously. He was an arsehole and there was no way around that. He didn't listen to what she wanted, he was inconsiderate, selfish, conceited and arrogant.

This wasn't how relationships were supposed to be. She shouldn't have to even contend with men like him. The prefect man was supposed to come along and invite her to dinner with a rose in his hand. He was supposed to be tall, with dark hair, a nice smile and good teeth. A good job, something respectful like a mediwizard or an academic. She wasn't that fussy, he didn't have to be that good looking. In fact, good looking had some major draw backs. Good looking men tended to know it, which led to the selfish, conceited and arrogant part.

But for some reason, he just hadn't come along. She was only 24, she wasn't exactly on the shelf yet. There was still time. Admittedly, she had been a bit closed off for a while, nursing her wounds. But that withstanding, every ill conceived attempt to ask her out and ended with an internal 'Ugh' on her part. She was much too nice to say that out loud, she had some manners. Polite declines had been more her modus operandi.

Her relationship with Malfoy had been inconceivable when it came down to it. It had been totally blissful, the four months they spent together, but it was borne out of some twisted need. Probably a way out of the depression she was bogged down in at the time. It certainly had worked until he ripped her heart out. But really, she only had herself to blame as she picked the most unstable boy in the stable and pinned her hope of him. It wasn't a surprise it ended badly, he literally had just been released out of the looney bin.

But now he was back, wanting to be with her. What was that old saying, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

He needed to know that for all he had and all he thought he had, he just wasn't good enough. Seriously, would anyone want that for a husband? Granted there were people who would put up with just about anything for wealth, but even Astoria ran a mile. Poor girl probably never had a choice in marrying him. Although leaving your child behind was unforgivable. Poor little tike had done nothing save for being born.

Although Hermione was having some serious doubts about her own maternal gifts, she still felt incredibly bad for the little lump. The one who spent so much time in the company of elves, he probably thought he was one. Anger flared in her towards Draco. How had he managed to fuck up his life so completely?

She spent most of the day musing over it. She should have been writing a brief, but she had all these thoughts whirling in her head. And she was all round too angry.

Surprisingly he wasn't there when she came home. She wondered what had caused the change in habit. Maybe their little heart to heart had changed things.

But he appeared five minutes after she came home. He walked through the door and handed her Scorpius.

"I'll cook." He said. "You entertain him."

"How about I cook and you entertain him." Hermione said. "That seems like the right way around since this in my house and this is your baby."

Draco wasn't listening, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out some bacon. "Pasta I think. Just walk around with him a bit, he is just about to go to sleep anyway."

She was pretty sure he brought the baby so she wouldn't yell at him. She rocked Scorpius in her arms, but she made sure she shot Draco a killer look or two. Scorpius wriggled for a little while, then settled down. After a few more minutes of walking around his eyes started to grow heavy, but he was certainly putting up a fight as they popped over every so often before sliding closed again.

"How can something this small, be so heavy?" She asked.

"He was tiny when he was born." Draco said. "Smaller than most, so he has been striving hard to catch up. I think he overshot a bit."

"The Malfoy way, isn't it? Always overdo it."

"If its worth doing, its worth doing right." He said. "And leave no prisoners."

This conversation was heading in an uncomfortable direction. There were a couple of uncomfortable truths ahead of them. But they might as well get onto it, there was no point delaying.

"You have to stop coming around." Hermione said.

"Why?"

"Because we are not a couple." She said. "And I miss my peace."

"Yes, all this wine drinking and eating dinner must be very taxing for you."

"Don't be facetious." She walked into the living room and put the sleeping Scorpius down on the couch and covered him with a blanket. She put a few pillows up next to the couch in case he rolled over.

Her arms felt light without him and so much cooler without the little mini heat generator.

"I don't want to be with you." She said when she returned.

"Had better offers?" He said.

"That is completely irrelevant." She said. "You're married and you seem to always forget that fact."

"Is that what bothers you?" Draco said. "That I am married, that can be rectified pretty quickly. Astoria would love nothing better than a nice fat settlement. Although its a little soon to jump into another marriage, we haven't even been seen in public."

"I don't want to marry you." She said flatly.

"Then what do you want?"

"You left me, you hurt me, it not just, lets forget it and start again. Hope we manage better this time." She said with sharp tones. "I have no proof there's any constancy in you. How do I know you won't turn tail and run next time you feel overwhelmed."

"I'm a bit more mature now." He said.

"Oh yes, you have Scorpius, who you admittedly feel nothing for and you need me to be a better parent." She said. "That is not an excuse to get into a relationship."

"How could there be a better excuse?" He said. "Providing for one's family, that is the core of everything."

"Its not good enough." Hermione said. "I am not the fall back mother for your child because your marriage turned to shit."

"I didn't say that." He said. "I can't live a life anymore where I am detached from everything. He deserves better. He deserves a real family and the only person I seem to be able to deal with on that level is you."

"You chose detachment, so you deal with it." She said. "Why do I have to deal with it every time you have an issue?"

"That's a bit strong." He said. "And by the way, you chose me as much as I chose you. Remember. We were both as involved."

"And then you unchose."

"It was what I had to do." Draco said. "It wasn't have been right, even if I stayed, it would have failed."

"And what, now you're ready?" She said disbelieving. "You picked up and married someone else, you can't just undo that."

"Why not?"

"Because you left!"

"I am here now. I want to be with you. I want to be a family with you."

"You're not what I want."

He just stared at her.

"You're horrible." She said. "You're selfish and conceded."

"You didn't seem to mind before." He said. "Essentially I haven't changed. There was a time you thought the sun rose and set with me. So what do you want? You've done practically next to nothing about me coming over each night. Kind of leads a guy to think that he might not be too far off the mark. I've been pretty up front with what I want pretty much from the start, so now it falls to you, what do you want?"

"I want you to hurt as badly as I did." She said. "I can't be with someone who did that to me. There was a time when I would have given anything for you to come back, but in reality, I don't think I can forgive what you did. What kind of person would I be if I did? If I said, just welcome back, lets just forget about what you did."

"I know you want me. I can feel it when I kiss you." He said. "But you want justice. You can't have it both ways. You have to choose one of the other. You either forgive and we start from here, or you won't and I leave."

"You gave up. I never gave up. I refused to. I never stopped fighting against everything that was unfair or unjust. I have always remained true."

"I don't care what I did. I can't undo it so it doesn't matter."

"It does matter."

"For all your fighting, there has to be a point where you stop."

"I stopped once at you ripped me apart."

"Did you stop or did you just shift your focus?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what? It doesn't matter." He said throwing up his hands. "You have to choose, justice or a relationship. Let me know, but make it quick because I am not waiting around."

He marched out of the room and into the living room where he picked up the sleeping Scorpius and walked out. He didn't say goodbye and neither did she. She was sorely tempted to stick her tongue out, but she knew that would be supremely immature.

Stop fighting, my arse, she said in her head. The dinner had actually gotten cold during their fight, discussion, whatever. More like an ultimatum. Do what I want or else. She didn't want to recognise any points he had made during their argument. Because to her it sounded like, please, Hermione, just take the armour off, that way I can take a really clean shot.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Hermione woke up furious the next day. How dare he give her an ultimatum. He didn't deserve it, nor was he in a position to demand it. They were not in a relationship. And more to the point, she was in the right and he was in the wrong, so why would she put up with him giving her an ultimatum.

And the whole, lets forget the past was just move on. The past was everything. It was their history and it was still front and centre as far as she was concerned. It proved that she couldn't truly trust him. He had shown that his needs ultimately came before hers.

But then there was that little devil's advocate in her head that said it would be unreasonable to expect him to stay in a relationship he didn't want just so he wouldn't hurt her. But wasn't that was love was about, sacrifice. You commit to someone and you stick with it, the commitment being more important than fleeting feelings. Feelings change. He obviously didn't take such commitments seriously. He'd walked away from one marriage already, although not complete in its disillusion, just like he walked away from her. One could say that he never made a commitment to her, but he had with his words, 'we have enough money to last us', 'we don't need anyone' and the classic, 'I'll be right back'.

Worse was that the compromises were all on her part. He wasn't compromising on anything. He wanted this relationship, he wouldn't apologise for the past or the fact that he was a total selfish git. He wouldn't compromise on any of his bad traits and just expected her to accept them. Like she was lucky to have him. She could do so much better and she bristled that he wouldn't acknowledge that.

Accepting him would feel like she was acknowledging that too. And that was a tad too close to accepting that he was better than her, which seemed to be the mission of his life. Her submitting to him would prove that quite nicely. Stop fighting, my arse, she said to herself. This was still all about winning. He might say he wasn't fighting, but how could this not be about winning. Everything in their past had centred around winning the war between them, even from the very start, the times when he sought to win over her by calling her mudblood or going out of his way to prove to all and sundry that she wasn't worth the same as purebloods.

As she said, she had stopped once and she had been ripped apart as a consequence. And she was still living with the consequences of that. She would be stupid to sign up for another round.

He wasn't there when she got home in the evening. She felt relief when she saw the dark windows as she apparated to the gate. The elves had left a light on in the kitchen as they always did. They did the work they deemed was thirs and then left, she rarely saw then. It was a small cottage and she was pretty sure they left. She knew they would come if she called them, which she never did.

The house was quiet when she walked inside. The relief gave away to missing someone to talk to, although it had been fighting with predominantly, but getting her house back was a good thing. The fact that it would be nice to have someone to talk to when she got home only highlighted that it might be good to have someone in her life. Someone trustworthy and constant. Not some spoilt brat who only did what he wanted.

She cooked herself dinner and watched TV before doing some work before bed. She had been a bit neglectful of her work over the last week. She had been too busy bristling over the intrusion into her life.

The next day was Saturday and she was going over to Harry's for drinks. It would be nice to see everyone and nice to have a bit of a distraction from the anger what was constantly simmering insider her since Draco decided to grace her with his illustrious presence.

She apparated over to his house shortly after work. He had done a lot to the place. He had finally managed to get rid of that horrible screeching painting of Mrs. Black. He had to remove the whole wall to do it, but it was gone. She had also managed to get some of the gloom out of the house, but it was not by any means a lovely house. Harry just didn't have a natural eye for interior design and there was no doubt this was a bachelor pad.

Everyone was there or coming. It had been a few months since she'd seen people. Ginny was there, looking great, telling people of her travels and experiences. Harry was paying attention to her, it was pretty obvious he was interested in her. It wasn't being returned so obviously from her side.

Ron came with his new girlfriend. A woman five years older than him. Cause quite a scandal, but he was besotted apparently.

This was a little more than a few drinks. This was forming into a bit of a party.

"Has Malfoy been harassing you again?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy?" Ron said. "Has he been harassing you? Again? Seriously, you need to hex his balls off."

"Not anymore." She said.

"What's this about Malfoy?" Ginny said.

"He wants to get back together." Hermione said.

"You're joking." Ginny said. "That creep. Like you would even consider it after what he did."

"Exactly." Hermione said.

"Seriously, that git has got no grip on reality." Ginny said. "Isn't he married?"

"Apparently it hasn't worked out too well."

"I'm not surprised." Ginny said. "He's a complete jerk. I hope you told him where to stick it."

"I did my best." Hermione confirmed.

"So he's not coming around anymore?" Harry asked.

"No, he has stopped." She said. "He gave me an ultimatum about being together and left. Haven't seen him since."

"Brilliant!" Ginny laughed. "Bye, bye, Malfoy. I hope he is sitting holding his breath."

"You can't even consider getting back together with him." Ron said. "He's a total git."

"And beside that obvious drawback, he's a Slytherin." Ginny said. "Can you imagine having to hang out in their 'society', socialising with his friends. Can you imagine being the one to have to bring him along to a night like this, being the one bringing the scowling shadow that ruins everyone's mood."

"No one wants him around." Ron said.

"Please Hermione, I beg you. I would hate having to go to dinner with you and him. Everyone would, you would be the couple everyone dreaded having to be asked out to dinner by." Ginny laughed. "You would be a social parasite."

"I think you made your point Ginny." Harry said. "But seriously Mione, don't forget what he did to you. The mess he left behind."

"I know Harry, I do remember, I was the mess after all." She said. Part of her wanted to say that he was a little more mature, but that would sound stupid and weak. What would be even more pathetic would be to say that she still felt fireworks whenever he kissed her, which admittedly had only been once. She could well imagine what her friends would say if she voiced that little fact. It was very definition of pathetic.

"You need a nice guy, Mione." Harry said. "Someone who will treat you right. You deserve someone much better."

"I know, Harry." She said.

"Anyone would be better." Ginny said. "Even most of the other Slytherins if you were really desperate. I need another drink. Even thinking about it gives me the creeps."

"What would you like? I will make you whatever drink you want." Harry said.

Seriously, Hermione said in her head, why couldn't she have fallen in love with Harry. He was attentive, dependable and morally constant. The world was full of lovely guys with good values. Why did she have to attract the nut job with dubious everything? He was a Death Eater for heaven's sake, that pretty much sums it up.

The group seemed to disintegrate. The message had been more than clear, Malfoy had nothing going for him. She felt contempt for him and her friends hated him. What else was there to consider? It was time to put him out of her mind. Time to forget him and let go of the anger. The future was infinitely brighter without him. The other way was only constant humiliation that she was too weak to stand up for herself.

She needed to start dating. She needed for find a guy that was right, who would treat her right and was emotionally stable. Maybe it was time to look for what she wanted rather than what she didn't.

She made her resolution, she was walking away. He just had to accept that he couldn't have everything he wanted and when he saw her happy with a good man, he could chew his arm off with jealousy. Success was the best revenge, wasn't it? She hoped he suffered while she was happy in a good, supportive relationship. Maybe that will teach him to take responsibility for his own actions and the things he did to people around him. It was a lesson he sorely needed, particularly now that there was an innocent person depending on him.

Now she just needed the ideal guy. Or at least a guy with potential. Someone who she could have the kind of life she wanted with.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Fifteen Years Later

Hermione had not seen the Hogwarts Express in a very long time. The sight of it gave her pause. It brought back so many memories and now it was her son's turn to go to Hogwarts. She held his little hand tightly in one gloved hand and her daughter's in the other.

Both were gobsmacked with the noise and people. All the magical children gathered in one place, with their parents waving them goodbye. She stopped on a free piece of space on the platform and gathered her son to her. She wasn't sure how she felt about him leaving for Hogwarts. On one level it felt wrong to send off one's child. Luckily Florie, who was eight wouldn't be going for another few years.

"Now don't be scared, darling." She said to her son. "These years are going to be some great times that you will remember for the rest of your life. As soon as you get on the train, find the twins and let them show you around. If you need anything, ask Teddy." She hoped that the advice to seek out Ron's twins was good advice. Those boys had a gift for finding trouble.

Her little boy was growing up and he was itching to get on the train and depart on this next adventure of his life. Florie was dying of jealousy.

"Now are you sure you packed everything?" She said. She wanted to keep him there for a little while longer, but he was clearly wanting to get on the train.

"I've got everything, mum." He said. "I checked the list twice."

She adored her children. Michael and Florie Boot. She had married Terry Boot a couple of years after making the decision about what she wanted in life. Looking back, it was probably the first real decision she had made for herself. Prior to that, the course of action has been pretty clear or had just spontaneously developed.

She decided she wanted a good man and she found one. Not ideal or perfect in any way, but the up and coming mediwizard that Terry had turned into had impressed her. Their courtship had been textbook. They had dated and then married. Children soon followed.

And she had a good life. They lived in a town house in London in a good neighbourhood. Her career had flourished with her firm taking on increasingly important cases, moving more towards arguing specific points of law. Terry's interest in her cases waned when they became more abstract, but he still loved when she won something, he didn't particularly care what, but each time she won something, he would say "That's marvellous darling, let's celebrate."

Celebration, anniversary, birthdays or Valentine's Day would typically involve going out for dinner at a French restaurant, occasionally Italian, but Terry was very much a Francophile. He would do German at a stretch, but anything beyond that fell into the 'foreign' category.

They got on well. Had been married for nearly 13 years now. They never fought and they had sex once a week, which in many corners was a barometer of a successful marriage. It wasn't necessarily exciting sex, typically on Tuesdays, but they made a point of keeping that part of their marriage alive. They were both trying, which was good. He listened to her and the things she advised. Sometimes they would talk about politics, but mostly they talked about their children. He had good anecdotes from his work, but she had heard most of them a dozen times now from the various dinner parties they had thrown or been invited to.

And now one of their children had grown up and was leaving them. Hermione held back tears and busied herself by adjusting the hatpin that was failing to grip her hair properly, while she blinked back the offending tearing.

"Go on, darling." She said with a smile. "Give me a kiss, then you can go. I love you."

He obliged and she watched him rush off to board the train, disappearing into one of its compartments. She gripped tightly onto Florie's hand, while she prepared herself to leave.

"Time for ice-cream, I think." She said to Florie who was feeling left behind.

As she looked around a blond boy was saying goodbye to his mother. It was Scorpius, she realised. And the mother wasn't really his mother, it was the woman Malfoy had married just before she married Terry. Felicity was her name. She had light brown hair and blue eyes. She was pretty with a lovely smile.

"Now be good." The woman said to Scopius. "Do well in your studies and mind getting into detentions. Your father would be very disappointed if you were in trouble again."

"No he wouldn't." The teenage boy said. He must be just over fifteen.

"Yes, he would you cheeky money." The woman said with a smile. "Now give me a kiss."

"Uh, mum, you're embarrassing me." He said.

"And that is a mother's prerogative." She said. He gave her a quick peck while she hugged him. He bore it with embarrassment and then turned to escape to his friends.

He walked passed Hermione without paying her any heed. She watched the boy who would have been her son if she had made a different choice in life. She felt a mixture of emotions, most of which she didn't recognise or more likely, didn't want to examine.

She hadn't seen Draco in years. Rarely saw him at all as they travelled in vastly different circles. His wife turned to the blond girl who was his daughter for a goodbye cuddle. Her name was Delilah, Hermione had read of her birth in the Daily Prophet, and she was a year or two into her schooling already.

Hermione hadn't spoken to Draco after he made his ultimatum. It preyed on her mind at first but which each passing day, it seemed more and more distant. As Terry and the children came along, her life set its path. And she could not regret that. Her children were perfect and adorable. They were beautiful and clever, and the sole purpose of her life. Hermione had made a good effort to educate them to ensure that they would not turn up on their first day with the disadvantage that she had.

She squeezed Flories hand and turned towards the entrance into the muggle part of Kings Cross Station. Over the years she had grown to dislike the muggle world, particularly the public areas that were so loud and constant blaring demanding attention. She held the little hand in hers and dreaded the day she would have to say goodbye to both of her children. Because she would miss them both, but she also dreaded the probability that she and her husband would have precious little to talk about with the children gone.

Seeing Scorpius was disconcerting. She hadn't thought about him or his father in a long time. He looked so much like his father at that age although he seemed to prefer to keep his hair longer. He was a beautiful boy. She was glad there seemed to be affection between him and the woman who had mothered him, although his teenage mind naturally sought independence.

She was still adamant she had made the right decision and her precious children mean that would never truly be in doubt. But in rare instances she wondered what her life would have been like if she had made other choices.

She had a husband who never asked her to stop fighting. In fact he rarely asked for much at all, he went along with everything. He was what she specified, a stable, dependable and respectable husband. They had a good life, enough money to serve whatever they wanted to do, which typically meant a week in Paris each autumn, or redecorating rooms in the house.

Sometimes she wondered what she had paid for this life. She naturally cared for her husband and would never do anything to hurt or embarrass him, but she wasn't entirely sure if she would be crushed if he ran off with his secretary like Ron had. Not that he ever would, too dependable and his secretary was a complete nitwit. He never caused her grief in any way, never tested her. That was what she'd asked for. She remembered Draco had said something similar about his marriage, his first one, he got exactly what he bargained for and so did she.

She rarely thought of Draco, for some reason it still hurt. Not perhaps so much what he did to her, but more generally the whole outcome. And why dwell on things that hurt, particularly things you couldn't do anything about. While her decision back then was to walk away, she wasn't sure she realised how final that decision was. It seemed that opportunities for forgiveness expired like a use by date. And they don't necessarily come back. The current of your life takes you away and apart, and that is that really.

She knew that fundamentally, her rejection of him ran much deeper than the words he had wrapped his intentions around. Words are cheap. It was his intentions she rejected, or more like, she made her own intentions. Her time with him taught her a valuable lesson, one that was summed up by a quote she found some years later. "I am only responsible for my own heart, you offered yours up for the smashing, my darling. Only a fool would give out such a vital organ." — Anaïs Nin

The End


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